TRANSPORT

British Transport Police

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of British Transport Police time was allocated to investigation of each category of crime in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: This information is not held by the Department for Transport but by the British Transport Police who can be contacted at: British Transport Police, 25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN, E-mail:
	parliament@btp.pnn.police.uk

British Transport Police

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on ensuring effective co-operation between the British Transport Police and other police forces.

Simon Burns: Effective co-operation between the British Transport Police and other police forces is an operational matter which is dealt with by the respective chief constables. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport does not get involved in such matters.

British Transport Police

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has made an assessment of areas for potential improvement in co-ordination between the British Transport Police and other police forces.

Simon Burns: Assessment of potential improvements of co-ordination between the British Transport Police and other police forces is an operational matter which is dealt with by the respective chief constables. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport does not get involved in such matters.

Bus Services: Halton

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding his Department has allocated for the provision of bus services in Halton Borough Council area in each financial year since 2009-10.

Norman Baker: Halton Borough Council can procure tendered local bus services where commercial routes are not viable. As funding is provided through the main Local Government Formula Grant, an unhypothecated block grant allocated by the Department for Communities and Local Government, it is not possible to say how much is allocated to Halton Borough Council for the provision of bus services.
	The Department for Transport allocated Halton Borough Council £39,582 in 2009-10 and £40,597 in 2010-11 in Rural Bus Subsidy Grant (RBSG) for the provision of additional local bus services to rural communities. In line with the Government's drive to simplify local funding, RBSG payments ended in 2010/11. In 2010/11 and 2011/12, the Department made two payments of £6,766 with the aim of kick-starting and supporting community transport as part of the Supporting Community Transport Fund.
	Bus operators running local registered bus services in the Halton Borough Council area are able to claim Bus Service Operators Grant. Although data relating to the amount claimed by operators are not available broken down by local authority area, the following links provide information on payments made to individual operators for claims covering the periods up to (i) 31 March 2010 and (ii) 31 March 2011:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110504135837/http:/www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/regional/buses/busgrants/bsog/661224
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/3258/bsog-qrants-paid-2011.pdf

EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  which EU directives his Department transposed in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date; which EU directives his Department expects to transpose in (i) 2013 and (ii) the next two years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such directive to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector;
	(2)  which regulations his Department introduced as a result of EU legislation in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date; which regulations his Department expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2013 and (ii) the next two years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Stephen Hammond: A table giving details of regulations which were introduced as a result of European Union (EU) legislation in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 has been placed in the House Library, and sent directly to my hon. Friend’s office. The Explanatory Memorandum to each regulation states which directive it transposes.
	In order to increase transparency, in the forthcoming Statement of New Regulation (SNR5) the Government will, for the first time, be publishing those new EU measures which are being implemented in UK law and have a direct effect on business. The statement will include a list of regulations that will be introduced for the period between 1 January 2013 and 30 June 2013.
	Directives we expect to transpose after 30 June 2013 include those listed in a table which I have also placed in the House Library and sent to my hon. Friend’s office. This information is inevitably less complete as work on transposition of measures is generally less advanced than for those in the nearer future and further measures are likely to be agreed with implementation dates before the end of 2015.
	Estimates of the cost of regulation to the private sector and the public purse are detailed in the Impact Assessments which are published on the
	www.legislation.gov.uk
	website for regulations that were introduced in 2011 and 2012. The table listing regulations includes links to the relevant Impact Assessments in the right hand column. These Impact Assessments show the impact in the UK of transposed directives. In some cases, for example where more than one set of regulations is produced, there may be more than one Impact Assessment. In such cases, the impact of the directive will be the sum of the relevant Impact Assessments.
	For regulations of EU origin to be introduced in 2013 and beyond Impact Assessments are normally published with consultation documents although the costs detailed on these are subject to change as a result of the consultations.

Great Western Railway Line

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what payments his Department expects to receive from the operator of the Great Western rail franchise over the next three years.

Simon Burns: The payments over the next three years will initially comprise those payable under the current First Great Western franchise agreement. Payments after that franchise agreement terminates will depend on how continuity of train services is secured. That will depend on the Department for Transport’s response to the Brown Review, which is due to report by the end of December.

Great Western Railway Line

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he or officials in his Department have met representatives of FirstGroup to discuss granting that company an extension to its Great Western rail franchise.

Simon Burns: Exploratory discussions have been held about the options for securing continuity of train services after the current First Great Western franchise terminates on 31 March 2013. Decisions on the future of this franchise will depend on the Department for Transport’s response to the Brown Review, which is due to report by the end of December.

Great Western Railway Line

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to extend the Great Western franchise with First Group without a franchise competition; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Great Western franchise Invitation to Tender published on 27 July said that the new franchise would start on 21 July. This implied an extension of four four-weekly periods to the current First Great Western franchise after its current termination date of 31 March 2013. The First Great Western franchise agreement provides that the Secretary of State for Transport may call an extension of up to seven four-weekly periods. Decisions on the longer-term future of this franchise will depend on the Department for Transport's response to the Brown review, which is due to report by the end of December.

Immigration

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the additional cost of the delivery of those public services for which his Department is responsible arising from inward migration since 1997.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has made no estimate of these costs.

Official Cars

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which Ministers in his Department have been allocated Government cars; and what the last dates were on which such cars were used by each Minister for (a) individual and (b) pool car use.

Stephen Hammond: With the introduction of a departmental pool car service on 1 April 2012, individual Ministers are no longer allocated Government cars. The Secretary of State and Minister of State use the pool cars on a daily basis.
	I use the pool cars occasionally and also use the top-up service as business requires it.
	The Under-Secretary of State for Transport, the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker), used the car on an extremely occasional basis for journeys of less than three miles, the last date being 20 November 2012.

Railways: Franchises

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on agreeing management contracts for the operation of rail franchises for more than 13 months without a tendering competition; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Once the Secretary of State for Transport has received the Brown review, the Department expects to refresh its Statement of Policy on the Exercise of the Secretary of State's Power Under Section 26(1) of the Railways Act 1993, which sets out the Department's policy on award without tendering for the operation of rail franchises.

Railways: Norwich

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions bus transport replaced rail for all or part of the journey due to (a) routine and (b) non-routine maintenance of the Norwich to London Liverpool Street railway line in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012 to date.

Norman Baker: The Department does not hold this information. Engineering possessions are managed between Network Rail and the train operator, and mitigations are implemented on a case by case basis, and may not necessitate bus replacement services. Where bus replacement services are necessary, it is the responsibility of the Train Operator to procure and advertise the services to passengers.
	I personally hold Network Rail and Train Operating Companies to account at monthly Performance meetings and I have recently asked Network Rail to look at how well it has managed possessions.

Roads

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the maintenance backlog of (a) roads and (b) pavements on the non-strategic highways network in England; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: No assessment has been made. Roads and pavements on the non-strategic highway network in England are managed by, and are the responsibility of, local highway authorities. It is for individual authorities to assess maintenance needs and prioritise accordingly.
	The Department for Transport does, however, recognise the importance of the local highway network and is providing over £3 billion to local highway authorities from 2011 to 2015 for highways maintenance. We also provided a further £200 million in March 2011 for them to repair potholes on the local road network damaged by the severe winter weather at the end of 2010.
	As announced in the December 2012 Autumn Statement, the Department for Transport will be providing an additional £333 million capital funding over the next two financial years to 2015 for essential highways maintenance on both the strategic and local highway network. Details of allocations to local highway authorities have been announced today.
	The funding provided by the Department for Transport provides local highway authorities with the flexibility to use their local knowledge and experience to decide how to prioritise expenditure.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will estimate the cost of gritting roads in winter 2012-13;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to ensure sufficient salt is available for road gritting in winter 2012-13.

Norman Baker: Based on the data within the Department for Communities and Local Government National Statistics release “Local Authority Revenue Expenditure and Financing England 2011-12 Final Outturn” published on 27 November 2012, the total gross expenditure for winter service, including salting roads, by local authorities in England was £175 million. Information for 2012/13 is not yet available.
	The overall cost of winter maintenance activity, including salting roads, by the Highways Agency who are responsible for the strategic road network, is estimated to be around £20 million for winter 2012-13.
	I refer to my previous answer to him on 28 November 2012, Official Report, column 5340W, in which I explained that I had written to all hon. Members on 23 November 2012 setting out the steps that the Department for Transport and the wider transport sector have taken in advance of any possible severe winter weather. This letter that has been placed in both Libraries of the House highlights the steps we have taken with respect to road salt for this winter period.
	In a survey conducted by the Department at end November 2012, total salt stocks for England, including strategic salt stockpiles, is approximately 1.8 million tonnes of salt. This highlights that highway authorities are continuing to hold robust salt stocks.

Transport: East of England

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of average spending per head of the population by his Department in (a) Suffolk, (b) Norfolk, (c) Essex, (d) Cambridgeshire, (e) Bedfordshire, (f) Hertfordshire, (g) Kent and (h) Greater London.

Norman Baker: The most recent data available for total public expenditure on transport are given in HM Treasury's Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses for 2011/12. Counties (a) to (f) equate to the East of England region and the identifiable expenditure on transport services there is £278 per head, (g) Kent is part of the South East region where the expenditure on transport services is £207 per head. (h) Expenditure on transport services in London is £644 per head. Equivalent data are not available below regional level.

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the implementation of the recommendations of the Laidlaw Review to be complete.

Simon Burns: I refer the hon. Member to the Department’s response to the Laidlaw Inquiry report, which has been deposited in the Libraries of the House. The Department has started implementing the recommendations of the Laidlaw Inquiry. Some elements of this work are dependent on the final findings of the Brown Review. The Department will set a time scale for implementation when it has received the report of the Brown Review.

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether Sam Laidlaw carried out a full trawl of departmental emails during the compilation of his final report.

Simon Burns: There was insufficient time for a full e-mail capture and review to be carried out by the Laidlaw Inquiry team due to time pressures. However, the Inquiry team did review a number of e-mails made available by the Department, including e-mails captured for the purpose of the Department’s HR investigations. In his report, Sam Laidlaw states that he is satisfied that he was provided with a proper evidential basis for making the findings set out in his report.

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to his Department was of the work done to compile the (a) interim and (b) final report of the Laidlaw Review.

Simon Burns: The Laidlaw Inquiry was commissioned as a single piece of work therefore it is not possible to disaggregate the cost attributed to the interim report and final report. The cost of the Laidlaw Inquiry are yet to be finalised as not all of the invoices relating to the review have been received. The Department’s best estimate of the final cost of the Laidlaw Inquiry is £3.55 million.

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether he or his officials received advice on the risk of legal action by (a) the EU Commission and (b) bidders in the cancelled franchise competition for the Intercity West Coast Mainline following his decision to agree a management contract with Virgin Rail.
	(2)  Whether he consulted the European Commission before deciding to extend the management contract negotiated with Virgin Rail to operate the Intercity West Coast mainline.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Transport carried out his duties and obligations within the Railways Act 1993 and within domestic and European procurement law. The UK Government do not normally comment on their dealings with the European Commission or other European institutions. Any such discussions or dealings, whenever they do take place, are confidential.

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to the taxpayer is of the fee agreed by his Department with Virgin Rail for the running of the Intercity West Coast Mainline as a percentage of revenue.

Simon Burns: The fee that we have agreed to pay Virgin Rail Group is 1% margin on revenue earned.

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on (a) external legal advice and (b) other external consultancy on negotiating the management contract with Virgin Rail for the Intercity West Coast Mainline.

Simon Burns: The Department has not yet been billed for all of the work undertaken by external advisers in support of its negotiations with Virgin Rail. The Department will monitor these costs closely and be fully transparent in keeping the House informed when the final costs become available.

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the value is of the premium payments he expects to receive from Virgin Rail in (a) the first year and (b) the remaining period of the operation of the Intercity West Coast management contract.

Simon Burns: The expected premium for the part year from 9 December 2012 to 31 March 2013 is £7.3 million. The amount of premium for the remainder of the operation of the contract has not yet been set and will be agreed or determined as part of the annual budget setting process.

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the terms of the deal with Virgin Rail on operating the Intercity West Coast Mainline allow the fee agreed for the first year to rise in the second year of the contract.

Simon Burns: The agreement that has been reached with Virgin Rail Group (VRG) and West Coast Trains Limited (trading as Virgin Trains) is that they will receive 1% margin on revenue for the term of the franchise through to November 2014. The new franchise agreement acknowledges that, subject to both parties agreeing, the commercial terms could be re-negotiated to transfer greater risk to VRG and Virgin Trains; this negotiation could include VRG and Virgin Trains earning a higher margin.

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of implementing in full the recommendations of the Laidlaw Inquiry, December 2012.

Simon Burns: The Department will be able to estimate the cost of implementing the recommendations of the Laidlaw Inquiry when this work has been scoped.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Databases: EU Countries

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 5 December 2012, Official Report, column 65WS, on the Justice and Home Affairs Council, what report was made by the EU presidency at the Council meeting regarding information exchange in the context of the Prüm treaty.

James Brokenshire: As reported in the written ministerial statement of 13 December 2012, Official Report, columns 58-62WS, at the Justice and Home Affairs Council of 6 and 7 December, the presidency provided a general report on obstacles related to effective information exchange but focused on the Swedish initiative on police information rather than the Prüm arrangements pertaining to DNA, vehicle registration and fingerprint data. However, on 7 December 2012, the Commission published a report to the European Parliament and the Council on the implementation of Council Decision 2008/615/JHA establishing the arrangements for operating data exchange under Prüm. This was deposited with the European Scrutiny Committee on 13 December (document COM(2012) 732); an Explanatory Memorandum setting out the Government position will follow.

Entry Clearances: Indian Subcontinent

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the reasons for the difference in refusal rates of visa applications from Indian nationals and from Pakistani nationals in 2011.

Mark Harper: All cases are decided on their individual merits. The Immigration Rules apply universally to those seeking to come to the UK, and the types and nature of application will depend on individuals themselves and their particular circumstances. The refusal rates reflect the nature of the applications the UK Border Agency receives.

Entry Clearances: Iran

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 19 December 2011, Official Report, columns 924-5W, on entry clearances: Iran, what steps her Department has taken to implement the proposals with a third state; and if she will make a statement.

Mark Harper: Sweden was appointed the UK's protecting power in Iran on 10 July 2012, but is limited to only providing emergency consular assistance to British Nationals in Iran and managing the staff and property of the British embassy in Tehran.
	Between 19 and 20 December 2011 UK Border Agency staff, with the assistance of the German embassy, were able to retrieve all passports and supporting documents from the Visa Section in Tehran. The UK Border Agency staff contacted all affected applicants to inform them to collect their documents from a temporary office located at the German embassy. Over 2,000 passports were collected and only five Iranian passports remained uncollected and were returned to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in February 2012. The applicants were notified of this.

EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which EU directives her Department transposed in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date; which EU directives her Department expects to transpose in (i) 2013 and (ii) the next two years; and what estimate she has made of the cost of each such directive to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office did not transpose any EU directives in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012.
	The Home Office expects to transpose the following EU directives in (i) 2013:
	Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes;
	Directive 2011/36/EU on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims, and replacing Council Framework Decision 2002/629/JHA;
	and (ii) the next two years:
	There are a number of directives currently under negotiation or which have yet to be adopted, including the European investigation order and the directive on attacks against information systems. It is possible that the Home Office will transpose these directives in the next two years, but it is not possible to say until they have been adopted.
	Details of projected costs arising from the transposition of the directive on the protection of animals for scientific purposes can be found in the impact assessment:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/about-us/consultations/transposition-protection-animals/protection-animals-scientific-ia?view=Binary
	The accompanying Explanatory Memorandum to the human trafficking directive states that the estimated cost of implementing the directive in the UK is £810,000 per year.

EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which regulations her Department introduced as a result of EU legislation in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date; which regulations her Department expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2013 and (ii) the next two years; and what estimate she has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

James Brokenshire: The following regulations were introduced by the Home Office in (a) 2011:
	Statutory Instrument 2011 No. 1247 (2011) the Immigration (European Economic Area) (Amendment) Regulations 2011. This amendment included changes to reflect the ECJ ruling in Metock (C-127/08);
	and
	(b) 2012:
	Statutory Instrument 2012 No. 1547 the Immigration (European Economic Area) (Amendment) Regulations 2012. This amendment included changes to reflect the ECJ rulings in Lassal (C-162/09), Dias (C-325/09), Ziolkowski (C-424/10), McCarthy (C434/09), Chen (C-200/02) and Ibrahim (C-310/08) and Teixeira (C-480/08).
	Statutory Instrument 2012 No. 2560 the Immigration (European Economic Area) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2012. This amendment included changes to reflect the ECJ rulings of Ruiz Zambrano v. l'Office National de l'Emploi (C-34/09) and Rahman (C- 83/11).
	Council Regulation (EC) No 380/2008 of 18 April 2008 amending Regulation (EC) No 1030/2002 laying down a uniform format for residence permits for third-country nationals.
	We do not believe that statutory instruments No. 1257, No. 1547 nor No. 2560 have significant financial implications. Details of projected costs, arising from the transposition of the biometric residence permit regulation can be found in the impact assessment, which is publicly available. The overall cost, including rollout, is estimated at £103 million. It is not possible to say what regulations the Home Office expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2013 and (ii) the next two years. However, there are a number of ongoing negotiations, including EURODAC and the Dublin (III) regulations, that may require the Home Office to adopt further regulations within the next two years.

Human Trafficking

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the UK Border Agency targets specific flights as part of its strategy to tackle human trafficking.

Mark Harper: Combating human trafficking is a high priority for Border Force. As part of its wider strategy to combat organised crime, Border Force targeting teams use a variety of automated and manual systems in order to select a person for examination at the border. Through eBorders, Border Force have the ability to track around 55% of inbound and 60% of outbound passenger and crew movements; equating to approximately 138 million passenger movements a year on over 4,200 routes, including all aviation routes starting outside the EEA.
	In addition to this tracking ability, Border Force relies on intelligence and profiles that are up-to-date in order to identify those movements worthy of further attention.
	Analysis of this data and intelligence provides Border Force the ability to try to identify and target in advance those people known to pose a threat, including human traffickers.

ICT: Expenditure

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on (a) strategy and planning, (b) design and build, (c) hosting and infrastructure, (d) content provision and (e) testing and evaluation for her Department’s websites in each of the last two years; and how much has been allocated for each such category of expenditure in 2012-13.

James Brokenshire: The following information provided outlines spend in 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13.
	The spend in these years falling under each of the categories (a) strategy and planning, (b) design and build, (c) hosting and infrastructure, (d) content provision and (e) testing and evaluation is as follows:
	2010-11:
	Home Office
	(a) £76,974
	(c) £760,548
	(d) £18,883
	(e) £4,700
	UK Border Agency
	(c) £336,833.03
	2011-12:
	Home Office
	(c) £635,076.17
	(e) £42,921.00
	UK Border Agency
	(c) £446,119
	2012-13:
	Home Office
	(c) £791,716.74
	UK Border Agency
	(c) £400,788.71
	Figures for the Home Office for 2010-11 and 2012-13 and UK Border Agency for 2011-12 can be found in the GDS Government on the internet data transparency held on the Cabinet Office website.
	These figures reflect the fact that much of the testing carried out is done ‘in house’. The testing carried out by suppliers is wrapped up in overall project or service management costs and would be difficult to extract.

Mousa Abu Maria

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what basis Mousa Abu Maria was granted an entry visa to the UK for his visit in November 2012.

Mark Harper: holding answer 6 December 2012
	Due to its obligations under the Data Protection Act, the UK Border Agency is unable to comment on an individual case.
	The Government take very seriously any suggestion that the presence of a particular person in this country might not be conducive to the public good. All applications for visas are considered on their individual merits in line with the Immigration Rules.

Police: Stun Guns

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police forces in England and Wales have deployed tasers beyond the specialist role.

Damian Green: Taser can only be used by Authorised Firearms Officers and Specially Trained Units in accordance with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) policy and guidance.

Students: Demonstrations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the cost was of additional policing and crowd control measures put in place for the student protest march in London on 21 November 2012;
	(2)  what the cost was of additional policing and crowd control measures for all protests in Greater London in the last 12 months.

Damian Green: The Home Office does not hold this information.

UK Border Agency

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will place in the Library the contact details of UK Border Agency officials who could be contacted by hon. Members outside the working hours of the MPs' hotline.

Mark Harper: The UK Border Agency's Command and Control Unit, based in Manchester, is the 24/7 contact point for such inquiries and undertakes this responsibility when the MPs' Hotline is not manned. Its contact number is 0161 261 1640.

UK Border Agency

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether UK Border Agency staff have been made aware of the Data Protection (Processing of Sensitive Personal Data) (Elected Representatives) Order 2002.

Mark Harper: The UK Border Agency staff are regularly reminded of their responsibilities under the Data Protection Act 1998 and are required, every year, to undertake training which supports this.
	The UK Border Agency staff who deal regularly with elected representatives specifically covered by the Data Protection (Processing of Sensitive Personal Data) (Elected Representatives) Order 2002 are aware of the provisions of this Order.

UK Border Agency

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training is given to UK Border Agency staff on dealing with representations by hon. Members; and if she will make a statement.

Mark Harper: Staff in the UK Border Agency who are responsible for dealing with representations by hon. Members receive training on the job as required. They also have access to regularly updated guidance materials to help them draft replies to MPs’ correspondence.

UK Border Agency: Correspondence

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the UK Border Agency intends to reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Ilford South of 30 August and 15 October 2012 concerning his constituent Mrs Malik and the Home Office case reference M1145772; and if she will make a statement.

Mark Harper: holding answer 17 December 2012
	The UK Border Agency replied to the hon. Member on 13 December 2012.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadband: Rural Areas

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to ensure that broadband companies are fairly charging rural customers who can only get low speeds of broadband.

Edward Vaizey: Through effective regulation, the UK has one of the most competitive broadband markets in the world. 92% of households are connected to a local loop unbundled exchange, and wholesale access is available on all lines. This offers real competition and choice for consumers, including on price and quality of service. All internet service providers (ISPs) are encouraged to sign up to Ofcom's Code of Practice on broadband speeds, ensuring the consumer is aware of the speed of the broadband service they will receive at the point of sale.

Mobile Phones

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects to appoint a supplier for the Mobile Infrastructure Project.

Edward Vaizey: I expect to appoint a supplier for the Mobile Infrastructure Project in the spring.

Tourism

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she plans to support tourism business improvement districts in each city in England.

Hugh Robertson: Government recognised the importance of business improvement districts in the recent Portas review. Business improvement districts are very much partnership arrangements between local authorities and the business community. The Department for Communities and Local Government are currently reviewing legislation in order to allow for tourism business improvement districts and expect regulations to come in force in spring 2013.

Tourism: North East

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will undertake an impact assessment of the potential effect of Scottish independence on tourism in the north-east.

Hugh Robertson: The Department has no current plans to undertake an impact assessment of the potential effect of Scottish independence on tourism in the north-east.

UK Fashion and Textile Association

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she next plans to meet the UK Fashion and Textile Association.

Edward Vaizey: The Creative Industries Council is the main forum for discussion between Government and the creative industries. The Creative Industries Council is chaired jointly by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills. The Creative Industries Council met twice in 2012, in January and in June, and its next meeting is scheduled for January 2013.
	In addition, the Secretary of State and I each met with various representatives from the UK fashion industry last year. All meetings with external organisations are declared quarterly, and details can be found on the DCMS website using the following link:
	www.transparency.culture.gov.uk/category/other/meetings

TREASURY

Charities: Bank Services

Derek Twigg: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will hold discussions with the chief executive of HBOS on the decision by Halifax to withdraw some current and savings accounts for charities;
	(2)  if he will estimate the number of charities who have been required to close current and savings accounts as a result of the decision by Halifax to withdraw some of these accounts.

Sajid Javid: Ministers and officials, as part of the process of policy development and delivery, have meetings with and receive representations from a wide variety of organisations and individuals in the public and private sector. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of such meetings and representations.
	The decision to offer bank accounts, and the terms and conditions of these accounts, are for individual financial institutions to make on a commercial basis.

Child Benefit

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of the correspondence and communication exercise with taxpayers in respect of forthcoming changes to child benefit policy.

David Gauke: The estimated cost for customer information for the high income child benefit charge was published in the Tax Information and Impact Note at Budget 2012:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/tiin-0620.pdf

Child Benefit

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the proportion of taxpayers affected by the introduction of the higher rate changes to child benefit who had elected to complete a new self-assessment for tax by the deadline of 5 October 2012 in respect of the current financial year.

David Gauke: At Budget 2012, HMRC estimated that as many as 40% of those affected by the high income child benefit charge may go into self-assessment. It is expected that the percentage will be lower, but no new estimate has been made at this time.

Child Benefit

Ann Coffey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the level the weekly rate of child benefit will be for (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013 for the (i) first child and (ii) second and subsequent children, if it had risen by the retail prices index in every year in (A) 2011, (B) 2012 and (C) 2013.

Sajid Javid: The following table details the weekly child benefit rates if rates had been increased by RPI in 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14.
	
		
			 £ 
			  First child Subsequent child 
			 2011-12 21.25 14.00 
			 2012-13 22.45 14.80 
			 2013-14 23.05 15.20 
		
	
	Fairness is a fundamental aspect of the Government's plans to reduce the deficit and protect the economy by ensuring that everyone pays their fair share. The change from RPI to CPI uprating and the measures announced at autumn statement 2012—5 December 2012, Official Report, columns 871-82—should therefore be considered alongside other decisions taken since the June 2010 Budget.
	The 2012 autumn statement builds on the Government's commitment to ensure that it pays to work; to support pensioners and those most in need; and to deliver a progressive tax and welfare system that is affordable, fair and encourages growth. The Government is providing support for those on low and middle incomes by increasing the personal allowance by a further £235 in April 2013, meaning 2.2 million people will have been taken out of tax by the Government's increases in the personal allowance.
	Furthermore, the Government are continuing to help people with the rising cost-of-living through measures such as cancelling the fuel duty increase that was planned for 1 January 2013, and deferring the 2013-14 increase to 1 September 2013.

Dairy Farming: Government Assistance

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any Barnett Consequentials will result from the establishment of the new Dairy Fund for England.

Danny Alexander: There will be no Barnett Consequentials arising from the establishment of the new Dairy Fund for England. This is being funded from within DEFRA's existing resources.

Ford Motor Company

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what discussions (a) he and (b) officials of his Department have had with the European Investment Bank (EIB) and others on the EIB loan to Ford Otosan;
	(2)  what meetings (a) he and (b) officials of his Department have had with the European Investment Bank (EIB) and others on the EIB loan to Ford; on what date each such meeting took place; and who was present at each such meeting.

Greg Clark: The staff of the EIB take forward analysis associated with prospective EIB lending, including discussions with project promoters and partners. In these activities, they act in accordance with the rules and objectives of the EIB. The EIB’s Management Committee supervises the EIB staff in conducting these functions.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2012, Official Report, column 596W, on PAYE, whether HM Revenue and Customs is able to calculate the accuracy rate of hash matching in the pilot; and if so, how.

David Gauke: HMRC's systems record the number of real time information (RTI) records submitted with a hash and the number of records where a hash has been submitted and has been matched.
	HMRC are working closely with those involved in the RTI pilot to ensure the information submitted is in line with the published RTI guidance. As part of this, HMRC will be liaising with software providers to analyse possible causes of hash non match and ensure that payroll software generates the hash cross reference in the correct way.

Revenue and Customs: Washington, Tyne and Wear

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 20 November 2012, Official Report, column 437W, for what reasons he does not plan to publish the feasibility study considered by Ministers in respect of the decision to close Weardale House; for what reasons he will not be placing the equality impact assessment conducted to inform the decision to close Weardale House in the public domain; and if he will take steps to ensure that nearby offices have the capacity to effectively accommodate staff working in Weardale House after it has closed.

David Gauke: The feasibility report on Weardale House contains personal information about staff location preferences and commercial in confidence details on building costs. For this reason, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publishes headline information only, on the Department’s intranet site. The information on Weardale House is planned for early 2013.
	With the introduction of the 2010 Equality Act, there is no longer a requirement to produce equality impact assessments. In their place, to meet its public sector equality duty, HMRC produces equality analysis documents for buildings which close or are due to close in the year 2013-14 onwards. There is no legal requirement on HMRC to place these documents in the public domain. However, they are published on its intranet site for staff reference.
	As outlined in the answer of 20 November 2012, Official Report, column 437W:
	“HMRC constantly reviews its office requirement as its business activities alter so that it can continue to accommodate the right number of people in the right locations.”

Senior Civil Servants

Jesse Norman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the ages are of the (a) Permanent Secretary, (b) Second Permanent Secretary and (c) other managing directors of his Department.

Sajid Javid: The ages of the Permanent Secretary is 53, the two Second Permanent Secretaries are both 43 and the managing directors are: 43, 44, 45, 48 and 57.

Surveys

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of his Department's most recent staff survey; which organisation carried out the survey; and what the cost of the survey was.

Sajid Javid: HM Treasury conducts an annual people survey as part of a civil service wide survey co-ordinated by the Cabinet Office.
	The survey for 2012 was conducted between 1 October 2012 and 31 October 2012 and the estimated cost of the survey is £11,217.
	All Departments must publish their results externally by 31 January 2013, in line with the time scale determined by the Cabinet Office. The results will then be available to place in the Library of the House.

Taxation: Football

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Premier League footballers are registered in the UK for purposes of taxation.

David Gauke: All Premier League footballers are under PAYE under the rules of the Football Association and Premier League. Every footballer who earns more than £100,000 per annum must apply to register for self-assessment and a tax return is issued to them. HMRC proactively reviews all of the football population and ensures that all footballers earning more than £100,000 are issued with SA tax returns.

Working Tax Credit

Ann Coffey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will estimate the level of the basic element of working tax credit in 2013-14 if it had risen by the retail prices index in April (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013;
	(2)  if he will estimate the level of the couples element of the working tax credit in 2013-14 if it had risen by the retail prices index in April (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013;
	(3)  if he will estimate the level of the 30-hour element of working tax credit in 2013-14 if it had risen by the retail prices index in April (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013;
	(4)  how much working tax credit will be received in 2013-14 by a single person aged over 25 years, working 35 hours a week and earning £217 a week, with no other income or savings;
	(5)  if he will estimate how much working tax credit would be received in 2013-14 by a single person aged over 25 years, working 35 hours a week and earning £217 a week, with no other income or savings if each element of the credit had risen by the retail prices index in April (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013; and if the earnings taper had remained at 39 per cent;
	(6)  how much working tax credit will be received in 2013-14 by a couple with one child where one partner works for 35 hours a week, earning £217 a week, where the couple have no other income or savings;
	(7)  if he will estimate how much working tax credit would be received in 2013-14 by a couple with one child where one partner works for 35 hours a week, earning £217 a week, where the couple have no other income or savings, if each element of working tax credit had risen by the retail prices index in April (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013; and if the earnings taper had remained at 39 per cent.

Sajid Javid: The annual value of the basic, couples and 30-hour elements of working tax credit for 2013-14 would be as follows if they had risen by the retail prices index in April 2011, 2012 and 2013:
	
		
			  Maximum rate (£ per year) 
			 WTC Basic element 2,185 
			 WTC Couple element 2,155 
			 WTC 30-hour element 905 
		
	
	A single person aged over 25 years, working 35 hours a week and earning £217 a week, with no other income or savings would receive approximately £710 in working tax credit (WTC) in 2013-14, based on the value of WTC elements as they stand following autumn statement 2012, 5 December 2012, Official Report, columns 871-82.
	A single person aged over 25 years, working 35 hours a week and earning £217 a week, with no other income or savings would receive approximately £1,185 in working tax credit (WTC) in 2013-14 if each element of WTC had risen by the retail prices index in April (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013 and if the earnings taper had remained at 39%.
	A couple with one child where one partner works for 35 hours a week, earning £217 a week, where the couple have no other income or savings would receive approximately £5,955 in tax credits in 2013-14, based on the value of tax credit elements as they stand following autumn statement 2012.
	A couple with one child where one partner works for 35 hours a week, earning £217 a week, where the couple have no other income or savings would receive approximately £6,615 in tax credits in 2013-14 if each element of WTC had risen, by the retail prices index in April (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013 and if the earnings taper had remained at 39%.
	Fairness is a fundamental aspect of the Government's plans to reduce the deficit and protect the economy by ensuring that everyone pays their fair share. The change from RPI to CPI uprating and the measures announced at autumn statement 2012 should therefore be considered alongside other decisions taken since the June 2010 Budget.
	The 2012 autumn statement builds on the Government's commitment to ensure that it pays to work; to support pensioners and those most in need; and to deliver a progressive tax and welfare system that is affordable, fair and encourages growth. The Government are providing support for those on low and middle incomes by increasing the personal allowance by a further £235 in April 2013, meaning 2.2 million people will have been taken out of tax by the Government's increases in the personal allowance.
	Furthermore, the Government are continuing to help people with the rising cost-of-living through measures such as cancelling the fuel duty increase that was planned for 1 January 2013, and deferring the 2013-14 increase to 1 September 2013.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to answer questions 127543, 127542 and 127541 from the hon. Member for Streatham, tabled on 5 November for answer on 7 November 2012

Greg Clark: These questions were answered today.

NORTHERN IRELAND

EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  which EU directives her Department transposed in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date; which EU directives her Department expects to transpose in (i) 2013 and (ii) the next two years; and what estimate she has made of the cost of each such directive to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector;
	(2)  which regulations her Department introduced as a result of EU legislation in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date; which regulations her Department expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2013 and (ii) the next two years; and what estimate she has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Michael Penning: In the period 2011 to 2012 to date, my Department transposed the Identification and Traceability of Explosives (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2012—this partly transposed EU directive 2012/4/EU.
	On present plans my Department expects to transpose in the next two years the Identification and Traceability of Explosives (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2013. (This will fully transpose EU directive 2012/4/EU).
	There is no cost to the public purse arising from the directives that have been transposed to date. The cost to the public purse for the Identification and Traceability of Explosives (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2013 is expected to be minimal; there is no definitive estimate at present of cost to the private sector but initial indications are that it would be less than £100 per set of regulations.
	In order to increase transparency, in the forthcoming Statement of New Regulation (SNR5) the Government will, for the first time, be publishing those new European Union (EU) measures which are being implemented in UK law and have a direct effect on business.

SCOTLAND

EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which EU directives his Department transposed in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date; which EU directives his Department expects to transpose in (i) 2013 and (ii) the next two years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such directive to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office delivered the Scotland Act 2012 in May of this year. In addition, each year, the Scotland Office takes forward a programme of Orders under the Scotland Act 1998. Generally, Scotland Act Orders make changes to the law in England and Wales, Northern Ireland or the reserved law of the UK which are outwith the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament and many of these changes are consequential to provisions made in Acts of the Scottish Parliament.
	The Scotland Office has not been responsible for transposing any EU directives in 2011 or 2012. We do not currently have plans to transpose any EU directives in 2013 or the next two years.
	In order to increase transparency, in the forthcoming Statement of New Regulation (SNR5) the Government will, for the first time, be publishing those new European Union (EU) measures which are being implemented in UK law and have a direct effect on business.

EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which regulations his Department introduced as a result of EU legislation in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date; which regulations his Department expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2013 and (ii) the next two years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office delivered the Scotland Act 2012 in May of this year. In addition, each year, the Scotland Office takes forward a programme of Orders under the Scotland Act 1998. Generally, Scotland Act Orders make changes to the law in England and Wales, Northern Ireland or the reserved law of the UK which are outwith the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament and many of these changes are consequential to provisions made in Acts of the Scottish Parliament.
	In 2011, the Scotland Office brought forward the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 (Consequential Provisions and Modifications) Order 2011 (S.I. 2011/2298). This was brought forward as a result of the Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 and included provision to implement the Council of European Union Framework Decisions 2008/675/JHA and 2008/978/JHA. There were no implementation costs associated with this Order.
	In order to increase transparency, in the forthcoming Statement of New Regulation (SNR5) the Government will, for the first time, be publishing those new European Union (EU) measures which are being implemented in UK law and have a direct effect on business.

WALES

Pneumonia

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will ask the Welsh Minister for Health to publish the figures for deaths from hospital-acquired pneumonia at University Hospital Wales Cardiff in each of the last five years.

David Jones: I will write to the right hon. Lady with this information.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animals: Exports

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will consider banning live animal exports from the UK.

David Heath: holding answer 17 December 2012
	While the Government would prefer a trade in meat and germ plasm to a trade in live animals, it cannot ban a legal trade. This has been demonstrated in the courts (both here and in Brussels) on a number of occasions during the 1990s. A key High Court judgment was that of Lord Justice Simon Brown in the 1995 joined cases of R v. Dover Harbour Board (ex parte Gilder), R v. Associated British Ports ex parte Plymouth City Council and the European Court of Justice case C - 1/96 R v. MAFF ex parte CIWF.

Ash Dieback Disease

Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many ash tree new planting sites are still to be surveyed in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales, from tracking forward from tree nurseries and planting stock infected with Chalara fraxinea.

David Heath: The Forestry Commission and the Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) are carrying out trace forward surveys. The number of sites identified is continuing to increase.
	The Forestry Commission currently has 472 sites in England, 241 sites in Scotland and 363 sites in Wales to survey. A total of 690 sites in England and Wales are still to be surveyed by Fera.

Ash Dieback Disease

Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his control strategy for Chalara fraxinea ash dieback will include removing infected trees from new planting sites and tree nurseries for the purposes of reducing threats to the wildlife of the wider countryside and reducing the rate of spread of ash dieback.

David Heath: Diseased plants and trees in nurseries will be traced and destroyed, as once young trees are infected they succumb quickly. For recently planted trees from potentially infected source, we will continue with the exercise to trace sites as an interim measure. We will continue to use our statutory control powers to contain recently planted infected sites and to restrict the movement of infected material from the site. We will only require infected stock to be destroyed where it represents a significant threat of spreading the disease to uninfected ash trees.

Common Fisheries Policy

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent progress he has made on negotiations for reform of the Common Fisheries Policy; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Since the agreement of the General Approach on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy by Fisheries Ministers at June Council, I have been working to influence the European Parliament's consideration of the dossier.
	Discussions in the European Parliament are currently at the Committee stage, with a key vote on the basic regulation expected on 18 December 2012. In advance of that vote I will be encouraging Members of the European Parliament to support radical reform of this failed policy.
	I do not expect negotiations between the Council and Parliament to conclude until well into 2013.

Dogs: Animal Breeding

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures he is taking to prevent the battery farming of puppies in the UK.

David Heath: There is already legislation in place to deal with the welfare of dogs in dog breeding establishments. Local authorities have powers to respond to concerns about the welfare of dogs in breeding establishments through specific legislation that regulates commercial dog breeders and through the Animal Welfare Act 2006. In addition, the independent Dog Advisory Committee is working with interested parties to improve the standards of welfare in dog breeding establishments. DEFRA is also working with the independent Pet Advertising Advisory Group to see how dogs can be advertised and sold in a responsible way.

Food: Prices

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the effect of changes in the price of oil on the prices of food.

David Heath: A DEFRA commissioned study found that oil prices are one factor affecting the price of food in the UK. Other important factors include global food commodity prices and exchange rates, with global prices being the most important:
	http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu &Module=More&Location=None&Completed=0&Project ID=17286
	Oil prices have risen since 2007 and are expected to remain high, increasing the cost of transport and manufacturing. Global agricultural commodity prices have experienced a series of spikes since 2007, and in the absence of further shocks, prices are expected to fall in the coming years, but not to pre-spike levels. This is in large part because of the higher oil price, which affects a number of agricultural inputs such as fertiliser.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Alarms

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the cost of providing free audible (a) carbon monoxide detectors and (b) dual carbon monoxide and smoke alarms in accordance with the same guidelines as the provision of free smoke alarms.

Don Foster: We have made no such estimate of providing free carbon monoxide alarms or dual carbon monoxide and smoke alarms.

Alarms

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to discuss with representatives of the construction sector the effects of extending the provisions of the Smoke Detectors Act 1991 to include audible (a) carbon monoxide detectors and (b) dual carbon monoxide and smoke detectors.

Don Foster: The Smoke Detectors Act 1991 was repealed with the introduction of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in October 2006. Article 53 and associated schedules (2 and 4) refer. I also refer the hon. Member to my answer of 11 December 2012, Official Report, column 179W.

Conditions of Employment

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of officials in his Department have requested (a) part-time, (b) job-share or (c) other flexible working arrangements in each of the last five years; and how many such requests were granted.

Brandon Lewis: My Department is committed to enabling staff to work flexibly, as this provides a way for staff to combine their career with their personal life. The Department encourages managers to be supportive of this where possible subject to business need.
	Requests for flexible working in my Department are agreed by individual line managers, therefore a central record of the number of requests made is not held.
	However, my Department's human resources system records agreed changes to officials' hours of work, and this has been used to calculate a proportion of total granted requests for officials in the Department for each of the last five year calendar years as follows:
	
		
			 Calendar year Proportion of officials recorded as changing hours (%) 
			 2008 3 
			 2009 4 
			 2010 5 
			 2011 4 
			 2012 4

EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  which EU directives his Department transposed in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date; which EU directives his Department expects to transpose in (i) 2013 and (ii) the next two years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such directive to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector;
	(2)  which regulations his Department introduced as a result of EU legislation in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date; which regulations his Department expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2013 and (ii) the next two years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Brandon Lewis: The Energy Performance of Buildings Recast Directive of 2010 is due to be implemented in January 2013 by the Building etc (Amendment) Regulations 2012 and the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations 2012. The impact assessments for these measures will be published and will detail the costs, benefits and other impacts.
	The Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations 2011 consolidated and updated earlier instruments which implemented the environmental impact assessment directive. The main changes included an inclusion for sites for the geological storage of carbon dioxide which were amendments required by the directive on the Geological Storage of Carbon Dioxide (Directive 2009/31/EC).
	In order to increase transparency, in the forthcoming Statement of New Regulation the Government will, for the first time, be publishing those new European Union measures which are being implemented in UK law and have a direct effect on business.

Flood Control

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of grants for lead local flood authorities in England will be provided through the business rate retention system in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

Brandon Lewis: It is proposed that in both 2013-14 and 2014-15 the amount of the Lead Local Flood Authorities Grant to be transferred into the Business Rate Retention Scheme will be £21 million.

ICT: Theft

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other pieces of IT equipment were lost or stolen from his Department in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: The following items were lost or stolen during 2010-11 and 2011-12.
	
		
			  2010-11 2011-12 
			 Item Lost Stolen Lost Stolen 
			 Computers 2 19 0 5 
			 Mobile telephones 0 3 0 0 
			 BlackBerrys 8 3 3 143 
		
	
	As previously explained in the answer of 22 March 2012, Official Report, column 832W, the single theft of 141 BlackBerrys during 2011-12 was a matter we took with great seriousness. The BlackBerrys were new, had not been activated and did not provide potential for access to the Department's systems or data. The police were called in and undertook a thorough investigation. Departmental security procedures relating to the storage of IT equipment were also reviewed in detail and strengthened as a consequence of this incident.
	All departmental IT is fully security encrypted.

Internet

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent on (a) strategy and planning, (b) design and build, (c) hosting and infrastructure, (d) content provision and (e) testing and evaluation for his Department's websites in each of the last two years; and how much has been allocated for each such category of expenditure in 2012-13.

Brandon Lewis: The departmental spend on its main website in 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12 and allocation for 2012-13 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 £ 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 (a) strategy and planning 0 0 0 0 
			 (b) design and build 70,000 36,190 42,000 0 
			 (c) hosting and infrastructure 372,000 350,350 359,000 285,011 
			 (d) content provision 0 0 0 0 
			 (e) testing and evaluation 3,000 6,221 0 0

Pay

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was paid in (a) year end and (b) in-year bonuses to officials in his Department in each of the last two years.

Brandon Lewis: The information is as follows, including comparative figures for 2009-10:
	
		
			 £ 
			 Performance year Year end In-year Total 
			 2009-10 832,491 181,426 1,013,917 
			 2010-11 580,050 113,830 £693,880 
			 2011-12 247,750 296,500 544,250 
		
	
	With effect from 1 August 2011, my Department abolished Annual Performance and Special Performance Bonus schemes, replacing them with a new Exceptional Performance scheme. This scheme applies to all staff below the senior civil service and under it individuals or teams can be recognised for exceptional performance or achievements through awards of up to £600.
	This Government have limited senior civil service bonuses to the top 25% of performers. My Department has exercised further restraint by limiting the value of bonus payments to 90% of the civil service-wide maxima.

Public Appointments

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many public appointments (a) regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments and (b) not regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments have been made by his Department since 2007; and in how many such cases the services of recruitment consultants were retained.

Brandon Lewis: Since November 2010, details of all DCLG exceptions to Government spending controls, including recruitment, have been published on the Department's website. These data include all appointments made by our non-departmental public bodies and can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-communities-and-local-government/series/dclg-exceptions-to-spending-controls
	Information relating to public appointments prior to November 2010 is not held centrally.
	With the exception of the Local Government Ombudsman, all public appointments for our non-departmental public bodies are regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The ombudsman, together with our executive agencies take into account the Commissioner's Code of Practice as best practice when making any public appointments.

Right-to-Buy Scheme

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 10 January 2012, Official Report, column 61W, on Right-to-Buy Scheme, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of funding the difference between the income raised from the 50 per cent discounted sale of social housing and the cost of the land and construction of a one for one replacement dwelling; and under what budget heading such expenditure was accounted for in his Department's accounts.

Mark Prisk: We have not made any estimate of such costs. Social landlords generally provide new homes by borrowing against future rental income from letting the property, a contribution from their own resources including land, and grant funding from the Government. Under our aim to provide a new affordable home for each additional property sold under the Right to Buy, Government grant funding will be replaced by the receipt from the Right to Buy sale. There is, therefore, no associated expenditure line in my Department's accounts.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Atos Healthcare

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the oral evidence of the Permanent Secretary of his Department to the Public Accounts Committee of 19 November 2012, HC 744-i, Q164, what proportion of Atos Healthcare health care professionals have English as a first language.

Mark Hoban: Data on ‘English as a first language’ are not held by Atos Healthcare on any of their employees. All health care professionals who carry out assessments in respect of benefit claims speak English.
	Atos Healthcare operates strict recruitment criteria, which includes the assessment of an applicant's oral communication skills during a formal interview conducted by experienced medical and administrative managers.

Atos Healthcare

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the oral evidence of the Permanent Secretary of his Department to the Public Accounts Committee of 19 November 2012, HC 744-i, Q161 and Q162, how many (a) doctors, (b) nurses and (c) physiotherapists have been employed by Atos Healthcare for the purposes of the work capability assessment in (i) the UK and (ii) each region in each month since May 2010.

Mark Hoban: Data on the number of staff employed by Atos Healthcare to work specifically on the work capability assessment (WCA) are not available. Atos Healthcare headcount is recorded nationally against the DWP Medical Services Contract which extends beyond delivery of the WCA.

Atos Healthcare

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the oral evidence of the Permanent Secretary of his Department to the Public Accounts Committee of 19 November 2012, HC 744-i, Q163, what the acceptance rate of those who apply for the role of healthcare professional with Atos Healthcare was in (a) the UK and (b) each region in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012.

Mark Hoban: This information is not available in the format requested.
	To provide a response to this question would involve the undertaking of a detailed review of all applications for the role of healthcare professional to track each healthcare professional through induction, training and approval. This is not currently reported on and would exceed the disproportionate cost limit of £800 for parliamentary questions.

Atos Healthcare

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to section 14, page 18 of the Government's response to Professor Malcolm Harrington's Third Independent Review of the Work Capability Assessment, if he will publish the report by Atos Healthcare into the impact of reducing the National C grade target for employment and support allowance from five % to four %.

Mark Hoban: Atos Healthcare have written to the Department providing them with their report into the impact of reducing the National C Grade target for employment and support allowance from 5% to 4%.
	This is currently being considered by the Department and is therefore “Commercial in Confidence”.

Atos Healthcare

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to section 13, page 18 of the Government's response to Professor Malcolm Harrington's Third Independent Review of the Work Capability Assessment, how long each online training session lasts; and how often each healthcare professional must undergo online training.

Mark Hoban: Every health care professional's training need is different. All health care professionals can volunteer for the training or will be specifically directed to the training if a training need is identified. Each session lasts as long as is required until the specific skill being taught is mastered.

Atos Healthcare

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to section 15, page 18 of the Government's response to Professor Malcolm Harrington's Third Independent Review of the Work Capability Assessment, when data on Atos performance and quality will be published.

Mark Hoban: The Department plans to publish the first set of statistics in April 2013. Quality assurance and publication plans are in progress to ensure that any figures meet the standards for official statistics.

Atos Healthcare

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to recommendations of Annex B of the Government's Response to Professor Malcolm Harrington's Third Independent Review of the Work Capability Assessment, published in November 2012, how many unannounced visits have been made to Atos assessment centres by (a) Professor Harrington and (b) officials of his Department since May 2010 by region.

Mark Hoban: Since May 2010, Professor Harrington and his officials have made three unannounced visits to Atos Assessment Centres. During 2010, Professor Harrington made unannounced visits in Balham and Bristol. In 2012 he and officials made an unannounced visit in Marylebone.

Atos Healthcare

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the oral evidence of the Permanent Secretary of his Department to the Public Accounts Committee, 19 November 2012, HC 744-i, Q50, how many invoices were submitted by Atos Healthcare in each month since May 2010; and how many such invoices were verified by his Department in each such month.

Mark Hoban: A table detailing the number of invoices submitted each month by Atos Healthcare since May 2010 will be placed in the Library.
	From May 2010 to date 187 invoices have been submitted, all of which have been verified.
	For the purposes of answering this question the term ‘verification’ is assumed to mean ‘gaining assurance that the goods and/or services supplied by Atos Healthcare were delivered as specified on the invoice’. Further verification activity, such as ensuring the unit prices quoted on an invoice are correct, that the arithmetic of the invoice, i.e. volumes multiplied by unit prices, is correct and an overall aggregate level check that the volumes quoted on the invoice matches to DWP expectations are completed as a matter of routine on all Atos Healthcare invoices.
	From May 2012 an additional verification process was introduced to gain better assurance that the goods and/or services received by the Department from Atos Healthcare were valid. To date this process has been applied to 133 of the above invoices all of which have passed verification with no errors identified.

Employment and Support Allowance

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of annual assessments for claimants of employment and support allowance with (a) long-term illnesses, (b)  chronic illnesses and (c) congenital disabilities.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not available as annual assessments are not necessarily undertaken.

Housing Benefit

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effect on low-income families of planned changes to housing benefit eligibility in respect of under-occupancy in the social rented sector.

Steve Webb: An impact assessment of the effects of the under-occupancy measure on working age claimants, whether on full or partial housing benefit, in the social rented sector can be found at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011-ia.pdf
	The equality impact assessment is available at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/eia-social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011.pdf

Housing Benefit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of (a) refuges for victims of domestic violence and (b) supported housing projects for young people which do not satisfy the definition of supported exempt accommodation and are therefore not covered by the exemption from the benefit cap announced in the Autumn Statement.

Steve Webb: This information is not available.

Housing Benefit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he will exclude payments for supported housing from the benefit cap, including for refuges and young people's accommodation, which are not currently classified as exempt accommodation.

Steve Webb: The Chancellor announced in his autumn statement that housing payments for those in supported exempt accommodation will be disregarded for the purpose of the benefit cap.
	The definition to be used for exempt accommodation is that currently used in the assessment for housing benefit and the definition will continue broadly unchanged within universal credit.

Housing Benefit: Edinburgh

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much he expects to be paid in discretionary payments of housing benefit to social housing tenants in Edinburgh North and Leith constituency; and for what period such payments will be made.

Steve Webb: In 2012-13, the Department for Work and Pensions has made available £573,486 towards discretionary housing payments awarded by the City of Edinburgh council.
	The Department for Work and Pensions does not hold details of payments made to any particular type of housing benefit tenants. This information is retained by individual local authorities.
	Details of individual local authority's allocation of the Government funding towards discretionary housing payments for 2013-14 will be finalised and published in January 2013.

Housing Benefit: Edinburgh

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of households in (a) Edinburgh and (b) Edinburgh North and Leith constituency he expects to be required to move house as a result of the Government's new rules on under-occupancy in social housing.

Steve Webb: The new rules on under-occupancy in social housing do not require those claimants affected by the restrictions to move. Claimants have a number of choices available to meet any shortfall of housing benefit in meeting the cost of their rent, for example, some might take up work or increase their hours in work, others may take in a lodger and some may choose to move. We do not know how tenants or landlords will respond to the new rules. For these reasons, the information requested is not available.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what tailored support is provided to jobseekers diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.

Mark Hoban: DWP Jobcentre Plus training provides our advisers with the skills required to support a range of claimants. Recognising that individuals may have conditions or circumstances that require different levels of support, our advisers will discuss with the claimant how significantly they are affected by their disability or health condition, including health conditions such as Crohn’s disease. This is specifically in relation to employment. Our approach to helping jobseekers back to work is based on providing personalised support.
	If claimants require additional support, they may be referred to, or can ask to be referred to a disability employment adviser. Disability employment advisers support those facing more complex work situations because of their disability, or health condition. They know about the programmes and services, including specialist disability programmes and services available for disabled people locally. They can also refer claimants for an occupational health assessment, or seek the help of work psychologists, advocate on behalf of the claimant with prospective employers and aim to identify work solutions that will overcome or minimise any difficulties, related to an individual’s disability in the workplace. They can also provide information about Access to Work. This is a specialist disability service delivered by DWP Jobcentre Plus which can fund the additional work-related costs faced by a disabled person, or their employer.

Jobcentre Plus

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 17 October 2012, Official Report, columns 344-6W, on Jobcentre Plus, what each of the figures in the tables is as a proportion of the number of jobseeker's allowance claimants in each region in each year.

Mark Hoban: The following table shows the number of claimants in each region (group from 2011-12 to present), the number of complaints as reported in PQ 123145 and the proportion of complaints against the number of jobseeker's allowance claimants in each region or group from 2008-09 to September 2012.
	
		
			  Caseload Complaints Percentage 
			 2008-09    
			 National 1,421,941 4,430 0.3 
			 East Midlands Region 103,236 145 0.1 
			 East of England Region 111,060 234 0.2 
			 London Region 190,385 801 0.4 
			 North East Region 83,952 163 0.2 
			 North West Region 185,621 369 0.2 
			 Scotland Region 124,951 438 0.4 
			 South East Region 139,086 479 0.3 
			 South West Region 91,575 392 0.4 
			 Wales Region 79,385 311 0.4 
			 West Midlands Region 166,993 437 0.3 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber Region 145,697 348 0.2 
			     
			 2009-10    
			 National 1,582,580 5,149 0.3 
			 East Midlands Region 110,201 161 0.1 
			 East of England Region 122,322 340 0.3 
			 London Region 235,173 839 0.4 
			 North East Region 89,602 223 0.2 
			 North West Region 207,807 365 0.2 
			 Scotland Region 146,444 429 0.3 
			 South East Region 156,269 527 0.3 
			 South West Region 95,437 365 0.4 
			 Wales Region 74,180 272 0.4 
			 West Midlands Region 181,508 578 0.3 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber Region 163,637 373 0.2 
			     
			 2010-11    
			 National 1,480,642 7,616 0.5 
			 East Midlands Region 100,481 226 0.2 
			 East of England Region 112,209 360 0.3 
			 London Region 223,782 1,257 0.6 
			 North East Region 87,100 332 0.4 
			 North West Region 188,712 514 0.3 
			 Scotland Region 148,109 965 0.7 
			 South East Region 140,101 521 0.4 
			 South West Region 86,249 391 0.5 
			 Wales Region 75,756 225 0.3 
			 West Midlands Region 163,684 666 0.4 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber Region 154,459 389 0.3 
			     
			 2011-12    
			 National 1,591,004 7,344 0.5 
		
	
	
		
			 Central England Group 316,625 1,287 0.4 
			 London and the Home Counties Group 270,113 2,000 0.7 
			 North East England Group 304,242 763 0.3 
			 North West England Group 206,793 670 0.3 
			 Scotland Group 261,278 1,105 0.4 
			 Southern England Group 148,076 873 0.6 
			 Wales Group 83,877 250 0.3 
			     
			 2012-13    
			 National 1,463,152 6,416 0.4 
			 Central England Group 294,639 649 0.2 
			 London and the Home Counties Group 244,508 1,106 0.5 
			 North East England Group 284,251 494 0.2 
			 North West England Group 187,680 2,210 1.2 
			 Scotland Group 248,203 563 0.2 
			 Southern England Group 126,216 753 0.6 
			 Wales Group 77,655 137 0.2 
			 Source: The caseload is provided by MISP (Management Information System Project and the complaints is provided by the Jobcentre Plus Customer Complaints Level 1 and 2 2008-09 to date.

Official Hospitality

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent for hospitality purposes on (a) Champagne, (b) wines, (c) spirits, (d) soft drinks, (e) flowers, (f) laundry, (g) porterage, (h) china, (i) cutlery and (j) venue hire since May 2010.

Mark Hoban: The Department does not hold specific expenditure information on (a) Champagne, (b) wines, (c) spirits, (d) soft drinks, (e) flowers, (f) laundry, (g) porterage, (h) china and (i) cutlery.
	While expenditure on (j) venue hire, is collected, the information does not specifically identify hospitality-related expenditure.

Personal Independence Payment

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the delay of transferring existing lifetime and indefinite claimants of disability living allowance to personal independence payments from October 2013 to October 2015 will have an effect on jobs at his Department’s benefits centre in Warbreck.

Esther McVey: We recognise personal independence payment is a major change and are determined to get the delivery right.
	Before we start to reassess the bulk of disability living allowance claimants, we will learn from our new claims experience, make sure our systems are working as we intend, and consider the findings from the first independent review of personal independence payment, which is due by the end of 2014.
	No decisions have been made at this time regarding the effect on jobs at the Blackpool benefits centre with regard to the delay of transferring existing lifetime and indefinite claimants of disability living allowance to personal independence payment from October 2013 to October 2015.

Police: Pensions

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the likely effect of changes to the consumer prices index on the police pension scheme.

Damian Green: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	No such assessment has been made.

Social Security Benefits: Scotland

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants attending the Jobcentre in (a) Hamilton, (b) Rutherglen, (c) Coatbridge, (d) Falkirk, (e) Barrhead, (f) Shettleston, (g) Parkhead, (h) Langside, (i) Auldhouse, (j) Govan, (k) Drumchapel, (l) Laurieston, (m) Maryhill, (n) Easterhouse, (o) Hillington, (p) Castlemilk, (q) Craigton, (r) Partick, (s) Springburn, (t) Newlands, (u) Bridgeton, (v) Provan, (w) Anniesland, (x) Pollok and (y) Airdrie have had benefit sanctions imposed on them in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012 to date.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not collated centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Surveys

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of his Department's most recent staff survey; which organisation carried out the survey; and what the cost of the survey was.

Mark Hoban: DWP's People Survey results are published externally according to a timetable set by Cabinet Office. This applies to all 96 organisations participating in the Civil Service People survey 2012. Results for all departments will be published on data.gov.uk on 1 February 2013. DWP also publishes its results on its external site on the same date.
	The Civil Service People survey, of which DWP's survey is part, is supported by Cabinet Office and the supplier organisation, ORC International. The cost of DWP's survey is £73,000 which is around 73 pence per person.

Telephone Services

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 21 November 2012, Official Report, column 153W, on telephone services, if the termination rate is retained by the Department's telephone provider in full.

Mark Hoban: The termination rate is set by the Department's telecommunications provider, British Telecom, and is not a matter for DWP. The Department for Work and Pensions does not receive any revenue from calls to its 08 services.

Unemployment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the implications for his policies are of the observation of the Office for Budget Responsibility report on Economic and Fiscal outlook that the unemployment rate will rise to 8.2 per cent in 2013.

Mark Hoban: We are aware of the challenges facing jobseekers in the labour market and have put in place a substantial menu of support to help them move into work. This includes support offered through Jobcentre Plus, who can offer claimants a comprehensive menu of support from Day 1, the Work programme which offers people tailored support to help them find and stay in employment and the Youth Contract which will provide nearly half a million new opportunities to young unemployed people over the next three years.
	While there may be challenges ahead, recent labour market data have been encouraging with employment up by half a million more people in work and unemployment down by 128,000 over the last year. Despite this, we keep our labour market interventions under review, taking account of the economic conditions.

Universal Credit

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the Work and Pensions Select Committee's Third Report of Session 2010-12, HC576, on universal credit, what steps he will take to provide sufficient resources to meet any increase in demand from claimants needing advice during the implementation of universal credit.

Mark Hoban: It is anticipated that roles required to support the introduction of universal credit and to administer the credit will be resourced from within the Department for Work and Pensions and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs current headcount and that the challenges around resources are considered manageable. Discussions are still ongoing with local authorities regarding their future role in the delivery of universal credit.
	Before universal credit starts to be introduced across the country from October 2013 we will test it through a phased roll out approach (Pathfinder) starting in April 2013. At this stage for Pathfinder, we do not anticipate significant increases in processing or advisory roles. The work force requirement for the initial phase of universal credit is currently being reviewed as part of a wider re-planning exercise. The work force requirement when known will be handled primarily through the transfer of staff from existing operational areas.

Work Capability Assessment

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the oral evidence of the Permanent Secretary of his Department to the Public Accounts Committee of 19 November 2012, HC 744-i, Q165, 
	(1)  how many claimants undergoing the work capability assessment in each region waited longer than the Atos clearance target in (a) each month since May 2010, (b) 2010, (c) 2011 and (d) 2012 to date;
	(2)  what proportion of claimants undergoing the work capability assessment waited longer than the Atos clearance target in (a) the UK and (b) each region in (i) each month since May 2010, (ii) 2010, (iii) 2011 and (iv) 2012 to date.

Mark Hoban: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Work Capability Assessment

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the oral evidence of the Chief Medical Adviser and Director for Health and Wellbeing of his Department to the Public Accounts Committee, 19 November 2012, HC 744-i, Q92, what evidence other than medical evidence can be taken into account by his Department.

Mark Hoban: The Department's decision makers (DMs) have to consider any evidence that will contribute to an overall picture of the claimant's functional capability in order to inform a decision on benefit entitlement.
	The majority of people making a claim to employment and support allowance (ESA) will be asked to complete the self-assessment questionnaire ESA50 to explain the effects of their condition, or conditions, in relation to the functional activities that make up the work capability assessment (WCA).
	In addition claimants are encouraged to submit any further evidence which will enable a DM to make an entitlement decision. This can be either medical evidence, for example from a claimant's GP or consultant, or non-medical such as a statement from a social worker or family member.

Work Capability Assessment

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many work capability assessments received zero points on initial assessment and were passed on appeal in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many people received between zero and six points in a work capability assessment and were passed on appeal in that period.

Mark Hoban: The following table shows points scored at the work capability assessment (WCA) and appeal outcomes for employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants who were found fit for work at the initial WCA and subsequently appealed the decision. The period covered is for ESA claims received between October 2008 and August 2011.
	
		
			 Points scored at initial WCA for fit for work outcomes where an appeal has been heard by the Tribunal Service (ESA claims starting between October 2008 and August 2011) 
			   Outcomes of appeals heard on fit for work decisions in the initial functional assessment 
			 Points scored at initial WCA Fit for work outcomes at initial WCA Initial decision overturned Initial decision upheld Any outcome 
			 0 points 327,500 65,700 132,400 198,100 
			 Between 1 and 6 points 57,500 22,800 26,400 49,100 
			 Total 385,000 88,500 158,800 247,200 
			 Note: The data presented above come from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions, functional assessment data from Atos Healthcare and appeals data from the Tribunals Service. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 100. Appeals data are only available for claims starting up to August 2011.

Work Capability Assessment

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2012, Official Report, column 388W, on the work capability assessment, what proportion of those work capability reassessments that took place within (a) three months, (b) six months, (c) nine months, (d) 12 months, (e) 15 months, (f) 18 months and (g) over 18 months of the initial assessment were for those in the (i) work-related activity group and (ii) support group.

Mark Hoban: The following table shows the proportion of repeat assessments that were carried out for those in the support group and work-related activity group at the initial work capability assessment (WCA) for repeat assessments taking place three months, six months, nine months, 12 months, 15 months, 18 months and over 18 months after the initial assessment WCA. The initial WCA outcome refers to the outcome adjusted to account for appeals heard.
	
		
			 Repeat assessments by initial WCA outcome (adjust for appeals heard) and duration between initial and first repeat WCA 
			 Percentage 
			  Outcome at initial WCA 
			 Duration between initial and first repeat assessment Support group WRAG 
			 Up to 3 months 41 59 
			 Up to 6 months 30 70 
			 Up to 9 months 23 77 
			 Up to 12 months 21 79 
			 Up to 15 months 23 77 
			 Up to 18 months 18 82 
			 Over 18 months 24 76 
			 Note: Some claims are not included because the initial assessment outcome could not be determined. Source: The data presented above come from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the reasons why the Work programme key performance measure did not achieve the minimum performance standard in the first 14 months of the programme; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether he expects the Work programme to achieve the minimum performance standard in its first two years.

Mark Hoban: Job outcome performance has built up more slowly than our initial assumptions suggested, partly because Work programme providers are taking longer than expected to track and claim outcomes. Job entry data released by the Employment Related Services Association (ERSA) show the number of job entries per month has been rising and we would expect this to lead to increased job outcomes in the future. In addition we are working with all providers to improve performance and have issued formal contractual letters to those providers delivering contracts where performance is poorest. Our aspiration for the total levels of job outcomes to be achieved by providers remains the same.

Work Programme: Greater Manchester

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people successfully completed the Work programme in the Greater Manchester area in the last year.

Mark Hoban: The Work programme is a two-year programme for each participant so this information is not available at this stage.

Work Programme: Kilmarnock

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency have completed the Work programme since its inception;
	(2)  how many people in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency who have undertaken the Work programme were in work six months after completing the programme.

Mark Hoban: The Work programme is a two-year programme for each participant so this information is not available at this stage.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the effect of unmanned aerial vehicle strikes on the mental health and wellbeing of civilians in Afghanistan.

Andrew Robathan: We have no reason to believe that aerial strikes from whatever platform have had an adverse effect in general on the mental health and wellbeing of civilians in Afghanistan. Weapons released by the UK's Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft System are no different to those from other airborne platforms. Attacks are carried out under the command of a pilot bounded by Rules of Engagement which are no different to those used for manned combat aircraft. Targets are always positively identified as legitimate military objectives and strikes are prosecuted in accordance with the Law of Armed Conflict and UK Rules of Engagement.

Afghanistan

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) names of members of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) killed on operations were read out during ceremonies at ISAF-headquarters to honour the dead, (b) Afghan nationals were killed on operations and (c) members of the Afghan National Army were killed on operations in each week of 2012 to date.

Andrew Robathan: The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Headquarters holds a service every Sunday morning, during which the names of ISAF personnel who have been killed in the intervening period are read out. Details of fatalities are released publicly as they are confirmed, not on a weekly basis. These press releases are available at the ISAF website at:
	http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/casualty-report/index.php
	Between 1 January 2012 and 18 December 2012, 274 ISAF soldiers have died on operations.
	While we investigate carefully all alleged incidents involving UK forces, the Government does not record total figures for insurgent or civilian casualties in Afghanistan because of the immense difficulty and risks that would be involved in collecting robust data. The UN Assistance Mission to Afghanistan released its own most recent report on civilian casualties in July 2012, which recorded a total of 1,145 civilian deaths from 1 January to 31 June 2012, 80% of which were attributed to anti-government forces, and 10% of which could not be attributed.
	The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan does not release figures for Afghan National Security Force fatalities.

Air Force: Military Bases

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on buildings for the use of civilian contractors at (a) RAF Leuchars, (b) RAF Lossiemouth and (c) RAF Marham in each of the last five years.

Andrew Robathan: Details of expenditure on buildings for the use of civilian contractors across all three stations over each of the last five years is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Scotland

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place a copy of the capacity review of the Army estate in Scotland in the Library.

Andrew Robathan: Until a basing announcement is made it would be premature for me to place a copy of the capacity review of the Army estate in Scotland in the Library of the House.

Defence Equipment

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the statement of 14 May 2012, Official Report, columns 261-4, on defence budget and transformation, what maritime patrol capabilities are part of the Core Equipment Programme.

Philip Dunne: Since the previous Government withdrew the Maritime Patrol Aircraft a range of complementary assets have been used to conduct maritime patrol including T23 Frigates, Merlin helicopters, attack submarines, Hercules and Sentry aircraft. All of these assets are in the core programme. A decision on any future requirement will not be made until the Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2015.
	The maritime patrol boat capabilities in the core equipment programme consist of the following current in-service capabilities:
	Hunt Class Mine Countermeasures Vessels
	Sandown Class Mine Countermeasures Vessels
	River Class Offshore Patrol Vessels
	Clyde Class Offshore Patrol Vessels (Helicopter)
	P2000 Patrol Boats
	Gibraltar Patrol Boat Squadron
	Ocean Survey Vessel
	Coastal Survey Vessels

Depleted Uranium

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to paragraph III. 4 of the report of the UN Secretary-General on Effects of the use of armaments and ammunities containing depleted uranium, dated 17 September 2010, what assessment he has made of the recommendation by the UN Environment Programme that action be taken to clean up and decontaminate the polluted sites and that there should be a policy of awareness-raising among local populations; and if he will take steps to implement these recommendations.

Andrew Robathan: The scientific consensus is that DU intakes are only likely to be a concern for those in or on vehicles at the time they are struck by DU or for those who enter immediately afterwards.

Lost Property

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  which items were listed as (a) lost, (b) lost in transit and (c) missing at (i) COD Donnington and (ii) COD Bicester from 2010 to date; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the total value was of items (a) lost, (b) lost in transit and (c) missing from Defence Equipment and Support in each year since 2007; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what the total value was of items (a) lost, (b) lost in transit and (c) missing from (i) COD Donnington, (ii) COD Bicester, (iii) HMNB Clyde, (iv) HMNB Portsmouth, (v) ACIO Colchester and (vi) HMNB Devonport; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Dunne: This information is not held centrally and will take time to collate. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available.

Military Alliances

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what military aviation collaboration projects his Department has taken part in with (a) EU countries, (b) non-EU countries, excluding the US and (c) the US in each of the last five years; and what the cost was of each such project.

Philip Dunne: Ministry of Defence expenditure on military aviation collaboration projects for each of the last five financial years is shown in the following table. The expenditure includes airframes, engines and other systems intrinsic to the aircraft. It does not include airborne weapons fitted to aircraft.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Project Collaborative partner:EU/non-EU/USA F/Y 2007-08 F/Y 2008-09 F/Y 2009-10 F/Y 2010-11 F/Y 2011-12 
			 Tornado EU 362.0 383.0 383.0 368.0 429.0 
			 Typhoon EU 969.0 1,225.0 1,521.0 1,790.0 1,730.0 
			 Gazelle(1) EU (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— 1.9 
			 Puma(1) EU (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— 17.4 
			 A400M EU 168.0 228.0 356.0 144.0 113.0 
			 Hercules C-I30J In-service software upgrade Non-EU 15.6 15.6 12.3 17.8 19.0 
			 Harrier USA 198.0 182.0 203.0 108.0 0.0 
			 Lightning II USA 181.0 100.0 145.0 242.0 259.0 
			 Airseeker USA 0 0 0 15.3 118.0 
			 (1) Information for financial years 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 is not available. (2) Not available. 
		
	
	The Hercules C-130J in-service software upgrade project includes a collaboration of EU, non-EU countries and the USA. This explains the cost in the ‘non-EU' category above.

Military Bases

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether (a) he, (b) Ministers or (c) officials of his Department have (i) received written communication from or (ii) met representatives of (A) Thales Training and Simulation Ltd, (B) Infrastructure Investment Ltd or (C) Robertson Group in relation to his Department's Basing Review.

Andrew Robathan: It will take a little time to co-ordinate details of any possible written communications from Thales Training and Simulation Ltd, Infrastructure Investment Ltd or Robertson Group in relation to the Basing Review. I will write to the right hon. and learned Member when the information is available.

NATO

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department paid to (a) NATO, (b) the US Administration, (c) the US Treasury, (d) the Receiver General of Canada, (e) MAMSA, (f) NATO Consultation Command and Control Agency and (g) SHAPE in each of the last five years; and what the purpose was of each payment.

Andrew Murrison: The total value of MOD payments made through Defence Business Services and the British Defence Staff (US Cash Office) to the organisations listed has been as follows in each of the last five years:
	
		
			 £ million 
			 Organisation 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 NATO 28.4 55.3 79.9 65.6 61.9 
			 US Administration 280.4 549.2 364.2 500.5 515.2 
			 US Treasury 69.0 106.5 188.6 163.9 100.7 
			 Receiver General of Canada 29.6 33.6 48.9 69.0 43.3 
			 NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency 25.0 63.1 80.9 88.3 65.3 
			 NATO Consultation Command and Control Agency 19.0 42.1 38.8 57.8 17.1 
			 Supreme Headquarters Europe 37.0 70.8 69.1 51.1 59.1 
		
	
	All figures are exclusive of value added tax and are at current prices.
	The payments to NATO, its agencies and the Supreme Headquarters Europe mainly represent the UK's contribution to NATO common-funded military budgets, the amount of each payment being made in accordance with the cost-sharing formula agreed for each financial year. There are two distinct budgetary areas for common funding:
	the military budget which covers expenditure of the NATO standing military headquarters and agencies; and
	the NATO Security Investment Programme which covers expenditure for alliance capital investment costs (mainly infrastructure costs).
	Expenditure in both these budgetary areas includes costs arising from alliance operations and missions.
	Payments to the United States and Canada are for equipment, equipment support, and other commodities and services for UK armed forces.

Unmanned Underwater Vehicles

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for unmanned underwater vehicle programmes in the Royal Navy; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Dunne: The Royal Navy Fleet Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) Unit and the Fleet Diving Squadron operate a number of UUVs for trials, evaluation and the development of training, tactics and doctrine. As part of a wider programme, the Mine Countermeasures, Hydrographic and Patrol Capability project team is investigating exploitation of UUVs to deliver elements of these capabilities in the future. The programme is in its concept phase so the Department is not in a position to set out detailed plans at this stage.

CABINET OFFICE

Emergency Planning College

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has to visit the Emergency Planning college at Easingwold; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 5 December 2012, Official Report, column 760W.

Israel

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will take steps to ensure that products from and companies based in Israeli settlements are excluded from public procurement.

Chloe Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Exeter (Mr Bradshaw) on 23 May 2012, Official Report, column 766W.

Negligence: Ministry of Defence

Joan Walley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the potential effects of his proposals for closed material procedure in negligence claims brought by the families of service personnel against the Ministry of Defence.

Kenneth Clarke: The Government are proposing to use closed material procedures (CMPs) for a very small number of cases involving relevant national security material, which the courts recognise cannot be disclosed in open court. Most cases involving service personnel are very different from those for which CMPs would be required. The MOD foresees no need to use CMPs in such cases.

Registration of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships

Tim Loughton: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) marriages, (b) divorces, (c) civil partnerships, (d) dissolutions of civil partnerships and (e) annulments of civil partnerships there were in each year since December 2005.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated December 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question on how many (a) marriages, (b) divorces, (c) civil partnerships, (d) dissolutions of civil partnerships and (e) annulments of civil partnerships there were in each year since December 2005. (134204)
	The table below shows the numbers of marriages, divorces, civil partnerships and civil partnership dissolutions in England and Wales for 2005-2011 where available. Divorce figures for 2011 are due to be published on 20 December 2012, while marriage figures for 2011 are due to be published March-April 2013.
	ONS divorce and civil partnership dissolution statistics include both dissolutions and annulments.
	
		
			 Numbers of marriages, divorces, civil partnerships and civil partnership dissolutions, England and Wales, 2005 to 2011 
			  Marriages Divorces Civil partnerships Civil partnership dissolutions 
			 2005 247,805 141,322 1,857(1) (2)— 
			 2006 239,454 132,140 14,943 (2)— 
			 2007 235,367 128,131 7,929 40 
			 2008 235,794 121,708 6,558 166 
			 2009 232,443 113,949 5,687 329 
			 2010 241,100(3) 119,589 5,804 485 
			 2011 (4)— (4)— 6,152 624(3) 
			 (1 )The Civil Partnership Act 2004 came into force on 5 December 2005 in the UK, the first day couples could give notice of their intention to form a civil partnership. The first day that couples could normally form a partnership was 21 December 2005 in England and Wales (18 civil partnerships were formed under special arrangements before these dates. These are included in the figures) (2 )Denotes nil. (3 )Data are provisional. (4 )Denotes not available. Source: Office for National Statistics 
		
	
	The Vital Statistics: Population and Health Reference Tables on the ONS website provide the number of marriages, divorces, civil partnership and civil partnership dissolutions for the United Kingdom and its constituent countries. See Annual Time Series Data table at:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/vital-statistics--population-and-health-reference-tables/winter-2012-update/rtd-annual-table.xls

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Official Hospitality

Wayne David: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much his Department has spent on hospitality in (a) 2012-13 to date and (b) 2011-12.

Nicholas Clegg: Costs on hospitality incurred by my office between April 2012 and November 2012 and the last financial year are £13,800 and £10,200 respectively.
	Any expenditure on hospitality is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in “Managing Public Money” and the Treasury handbook on “Regularity and Propriety”.

EDUCATION

Family Justice Review

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress he has made in implementing the decision of the Family Justice Review on ensuring that children maintain relationships with grandparents and other family members if their parents separate.

Edward Timpson: We agree with the Family Justice Review's recommendation that the importance of children's relationships with grandparents and other family members, where safe and appropriate, should be emphasised in the dispute resolution process. Work will continue next year to develop a range of support to help separated parents resolve their disputes out of court. The importance of considering the benefits to children of maintaining relationships with wider family members will be stressed throughout this process, including through online support, parenting programmes for separated parents, and as part of the new ‘parenting agreement' which is being developed.

Freedom of Information

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the relative cost to his Department of answering Written Parliamentary questions from hon. Members and requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Elizabeth Truss: None.

Further Education: Admissions

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to allow further education colleges to enrol 14 to 16 year olds; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock: holding answer 17 December 2012
	We are reforming education so it is rigorous and stretching and I want every child that wants to study high quality vocational courses alongside the critical academic core to be able to so do. One way we will be doing this is allowing outstanding, good and improving colleges to enrol full-time pupils from the age of 14. This will take effect from next September.
	Colleges will need to provide a dedicated space for students to go to for advice, tuition and some teaching although they will be able to use all college facilities. A senior member of the teaching staff will be responsible for the centre and ensuring the students receive the education and support they need.
	Like all new education provision the colleges will be subject to Ofsted inspection within two years of opening.
	Whether a child is academic or vocational minded, they deserve the chance of excellent education that meets their needs.
	Further details are available on the DFE website:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/youngpeople/gandlearning/a00218341/wolf-review-recommendation-19

Young People

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of students aged 16 to 18 in (a) sixth form colleges and (b) further education colleges entered (i) higher education institutions and (ii) employment in each of the last five years.

Matthew Hancock: holding answer 17 December 2012
	The proportion of students in 2008/09 who entered an A Level or equivalent qualification in (a) sixth form colleges and (b) further education colleges who went on to a higher education institution in 2009/10 and participated for at least the first two terms is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Type Total number of students (KS5 Cohort)(1) Students who went to a higher education institution (Number)(2) Students who went to a higher education institution (Percentage)(2) 
			 Sixth form college 57,700 32,660 57 
			 Further education college 102,110 39,780 39 
			 All types—Schools and colleges 313,340 162,780 52 
			 (1) Students who entered a level 3 qualification. (2) Students who have been in an education destination for the first two terms. 
		
	
	Information is only available for 2008/09 students going to a sustained education destination in 2009/10. These destination measures were published for the first time in a statistical first release (experimental statistics) on 17 July 2012.
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STA/t001076/index.shtml
	Data for the next available year, 2010/11 destinations, will be published in summer 2013. Data on employment destinations are currently being explored by officials in the Department to consider whether they can be included in the next publication.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Christmas

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General whether the Law Officers' Departments are holding a Christmas party in 2012; and what the cost is.

Oliver Heald: Only the Treasury Solicitor's Department, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and the Attorney-General's Office are holding office wide Christmas parties for their staff. No public funds are being used to pay for any entertainment and hospitality costs for these events. Any such costs are being met by members of staff and Ministers.

Crime: Damage

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions the Crown Prosecution Service has carried out for criminal damage in each of the last five years; and what the conviction rate was in each such year.

Oliver Heald: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) provide an analysis of the outcome of proceedings, divided into 12 principal offence categories which indicate the most serious offence with which the defendant was charged at the time of finalisation. The following table shows the number of prosecutions and convictions for defendants whose principal offence was “criminal damage”.
	
		
			  Convictions Unsuccessful  
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Total number 
			 2007-08 45,237 86.1 7,279 13.9 52,516 
			 2008-09 43,437 88.0 5,912 12.0 49,349 
			 2009-10 40,832 87.4 5,912 12.6 46,744 
			 2010-11 38,666 86.3 6,152 13.7 44,818 
			 2011-12 35,885 85.9 5,912 14.1 41,797

Crimes of Violence

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions the Crown Prosecution Service has carried out for (a) actual bodily harm and (b) grievous bodily harm in each of the last five years; and what the conviction rates were for each in each such year.

Oliver Heald: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts, rather than the number of defendants prosecuted. The following table, therefore, shows in each of the last five years the number of offences charged under section 47 (Assault occasioning Actual Bodily Harm), section 20 (Unlawful Wounding) and section 18 (Grievous Bodily Harm) of the Offences against the Person Act 1861.
	
		
			  Offences Against the Person Act 1861, section 47 Offences Against the Person Act 1861, section 20 Offences Against the Person Act 1861, section 18 
			 2007-08 34,882 5,754 7,825 
			 2008-09 31,566 5,552 7,759 
			 2009-10 33,129 5,834 7,930 
			 2010-11 34,737 6,195 8,424 
			 2011-12 26,713 5,466 7,748 
		
	
	There is no indication of the final prosecution outcome, or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at the time of finalisation. It is also often the case that an individual defendant is charged with more than one offence against the same victim. To obtain the volume and rate of convictions it would be necessary to review individual case files which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Dangerous Driving

David Morris: To ask the Attorney-General how many drivers were prosecuted for causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving where their speed was recorded at less than 35 mph in the last two years for which figures are available.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not hold any information centrally regarding the alleged driving speeds for any given offence, and therefore maintains no central record of the number of drivers that were prosecuted for causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving where their speed was recorded at less than 35 mph. Such data could not be reasonably obtained locally or nationally other than by reviewing individual case files which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Domestic Violence: Prosecutions

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney-General what guidance he gives to the Crown Prosecution Service on the consideration to be given to the terms of a reconciliation agreed via a Muslim Arbitration Tribunal when deciding whether or not to begin a prosecution for an offence that involves domestic violence.

Oliver Heald: The Law Officers have not given any guidance to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on this issue. All domestic violence complaints, forwarded to the CPS following a police investigation, are reviewed in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors; prosecutors assess whether there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction, and if so, whether a prosecution is in the public interest.
	Muslim Arbitration Tribunals are not a part of the criminal justice process, and do not deal with criminal matters. While the views of the victim in any case will always be taken into account, the CPS will not specifically consider the involvement of a Muslim Arbitration Tribunal before deciding on a criminal prosecution for a domestic violence offence.

Drugs: Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions the Crown Prosecution Service has carried out for drug possession and supply offences in each of the last five years, by each class of illegal drug.

Oliver Heald: Supply and possession of drugs offences are prosecuted under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts, rather than the number of defendants prosecuted. The following tables, therefore, show the number of offences, rather than defendants, charged for supply and possession offences for the last five complete financial years. Offences for possession with intent to supply have been separated out for clarity.
	
		
			 Class A 
			  Supply Possession with intent to supply Possession 
			 2007-08 10,428 8,104 20,103 
			 2008-09 10,755 8,829 21,749 
			 2009-10 8,826 8,251 19,367 
			 2010-11 8,181 7,880 17,680 
			 2011-12 7,253 6,959 15,585 
		
	
	
		
			 Class B 
			  Supply Possession with intent to supply Possession 
			 2007-08 1,225 3,828 28,300 
			 2008-09 1,385 4,735 35,860 
			 2009-10 1,501 5,287 42,863 
			 2010-11 1,844 6,716 47,901 
			 2011-12 2,212 7,286 47,979 
		
	
	
		
			 Class C 
			  Supply Possession with intent to supply Possession 
			 2007-08 485 1,087 6,278 
			 2008-09 545 1,214 6,698 
			 2009-10 385 1,043 3,945 
			 2010-11 303 1,016 4,953 
			 2011-12 354 1,149 5,081 
		
	
	There is no indication of the final prosecution outcome, or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at the time of finalisation. It is also often the case that an individual defendant is charged with more than one offence.
	In addition to the offence of supplying a controlled drug, the offences of offering to supply, being concerned in the supply and being concerned in offering to supply a controlled drug are also included.

Personation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions the Crown Prosecution Service has carried out for identity theft in each of the last five years; and what the conviction rates were in each such year.

Oliver Heald: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts, rather than the number of defendants. There is no specific offence of identity theft however, the Identity Documents Act 2010 created offences under sections 4(1), 5(1) and 6(1), relating to the possession, manufacture and use of false identity documents or of using another person's identity documents. These are specific identity documents such as passports or driving licences.
	During the last three years, for which data are available, the number of these offences was as follows:
	
		
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Identity Documents Act 2010 (4(1) and (2)) 41 1,146 1,73 
			 Identity Document Act 2010 (5(1)) 0 14 15 
			 Identity Documents Act 2010 (6(1)) 0 341 299 
			 Total 41 1,501 1,587 
		
	
	No central records of the prosecution outcomes of offences are held by the CPS. To obtain the volume and rate of convictions a manual exercise of reviewing individual case files would need to be undertaken at a disproportionate cost.
	In addition to the above offences, the use of another person's identity may result in other charges such as theft, fraud by false representation, possession of articles for use in fraud, obtaining services dishonestly and false accounting. No central record of the circumstances of an offence is maintained. Such data could not reasonably be obtained locally or nationally other than by undertaking a manual exercise of reviewing individual case files at a disproportionate cost.

Serious Fraud Office

Mike Wood: To ask the Attorney-General what amount has been spent on refurbishing the Serious Fraud Office premises at Cockspur street, London in the last two years.

Oliver Heald: The Serious Fraud Office moved to its Cockspur street premises in November and some refurbishment was required prior to the move. To date, the cost of refurbishment works is £732,000, and the total cost is expected to be £779,000 (excluding VAT).

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Coal

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to publish his Department's coal strategy.

John Hayes: The proposition of a coal strategy was first raised with me by the Coal Forum at a meeting last month. The future of coal in a low carbon economy is inextricably linked to CCS and I can see there are arguments for bringing together the different strands of Government policy relating to coal in our future energy mix. I wrote to the Coal Forum on 13 December 2012 to confirm that I will be considering its suggestion further and will respond to this and its other recommendations early in the new year.

Electricity Generation

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to paragraph 2.8 of his Department's Gas Generation Strategy, published on 5 December 2012, for what reasons his Department has increased the expected deployment of new CCGT capacity by 2030.

John Hayes: DECC's latest modelling incorporates a new modelling approach and updated assumptions. The latest analysis suggests that there will be more CCGT retirements and assumes higher demand projections towards 2030, resulting from higher population projections and higher transport electricity demand. This leads to a need for more new CCGTs.

Energy Company Obligation

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with energy suppliers on the reporting of (a) the costs incurred by suppliers and (b) the costs to be passed on to consumers in consequence of delivering the Energy Company Obligation.

Gregory Barker: The Department has had a number of discussions with representatives from energy companies to ensure that there is timely and accurate reporting of the costs of delivering the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), and of how costs are passed on to consumers.

Energy: Co-operatives

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what funding he has allocated for energy co-operatives in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; to which organisations it has been allocated; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: DECC does not hold data on the allocation of funding to energy co-operatives.
	However, the Department is planning shortly to commission a piece of research to improve the evidence base around community energy in the UK which will feed into the development of the DECC Community Energy Strategy.
	As part of this research, the current scale of the community energy sector will be estimated, and a typology of community energy schemes will be developed. The main factors in the success of community energy schemes will also be explored, including what levels of funding have been made available to community energy schemes, and from what sources.

Fish: Conservation

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will consider promoting the use of offshore wind turbines to protect fish stocks in UK waters.

John Hayes: holding answer 17 December 2012
	The Government support offshore wind because of its potential to play a key part in the UK's energy mix and as a source of investment and economic benefit to the UK.
	I am aware of scientific research that indicates that large permanent offshore structures, such as offshore wind turbines, can create feeding grounds for fish, with a potentially beneficial effect on fish stocks. The responsibility for UK fisheries policy rests with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, although some aspects have been devolved.

Fuel Oil: Prices

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what discussions his Department has had with domestic heating oil suppliers on recent trends in heating oil prices; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions his Department has had with Ofgem on recent trends in domestic heating oil prices; and if he will make a statement.

John Hayes: Pricing is a commercial matter for individual domestic heating oil suppliers. Competition and consumer protection is a matter for the Office of Fair Trading. It has taken enforcement action following the Off-Grid Energy Market Study in 2011. My officials continue to work closely with the OFT.
	The Government are sympathetic to the predicament of those faced with rising costs. That is why we have worked with consumer representative organisations and industry to launch the Buy Oil Early campaign to encourage domestic heating oil consumers to buy oil early before the winter demand increases prices. Oil buying clubs can be one way of reducing the costs to consumers and providing access to competitive prices. I wrote to Members about this on 19 October 2012 signposting guidance and information about oil buying clubs, which may be of use to their off-grid constituents.

Natural Gas: Exploration

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  with reference to the answer of 23 April 2012, Official Report, column 617W, on natural gas: exploration, when he intends to make a decision about the resumption of fracking operations;
	(2)  when he intends to publish his Department's response to comments on the report published on 17 April 2012 on hydraulic fracturing.

John Hayes: As announced in the House on 13 December 2012, Official Report, column 431, we have concluded that, in principle, fracking for shale gas can be allowed to resume, subject to new controls to mitigate the risk of seismicity. A full written statement was tabled in both Houses on 13 December 2012, Official Report, columns 44-52WS, accompanied by a response to comments made on the report published on 17 April.

Natural Gas: Exploration

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on the ownership of the mineral rights to shale gas extraction on the UK mainland.

John Hayes: The Petroleum Act 1998, like its predecessor, the Petroleum Act 1934, vests the right to explore, drill for and produce oil and gas in the Crown, and empowers the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), to issue licences enabling the licensee to carry out such activities, subject to other regulatory checks and permits. I have no proposals for change in these matters.

Petroleum Act 1998

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many notices he has served under section 29 of the Petroleum Act 1998 in each year since 1998; and on whom such notices have been served.

Gregory Barker: Approximately 4,400 section 29 notices have been served since 1998. Section 29 notices are served on appropriate parties as defined in the Petroleum Act 1998 (and as amended by the Energy Act 2008). These parties include operators, licensees, owners, parties to joint operating agreements or similar, parent companies and associates.

Renewables Obligation

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will consider extending the Renewables Obligation to 2020 to ensure there is a clear transition in place so that investors can adjust to the new financing mechanism for all types of energy generation and prevent a freeze in investment.

John Hayes: The renewables obligation (RO) is subject to a 2037 end date, and we have no plans to extend this. Any accreditations after 31 March 2017 would receive less than 20 years of RO support. The Government's decision was announced in July 2011 in response to the White Paper on “Electricity Market Reform”—six years in advance of the closure date.
	We intend to start letting CfD contracts in early 2014 so investments should not be delayed during the transition period.

Sellafield

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what safety breaches have been reported at Sellafield nuclear plant in the last year; and on which occasions the emergency services were required to respond to such alerts.

John Hayes: A total of 24 incidents and events have been formally reported to the Office for Nuclear Regulation since 1 January 2012. The majority of these related to minor procedural breaches and equipment faults and also included were a small number of incidents relating to the loss of site services such as steam, electrical power and uncontrolled lowering of a load. For each incident the ONR is satisfied that Sellafield Ltd took appropriate action without compromising nuclear safety on the site. None of these incidents required the attendance of the Sellafield site or external emergency services.

Sellafield

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's latest estimate is for the total cost of decommissioning the Sellafield plant.

John Hayes: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's latest estimate of the total lifetime cost of decommissioning the Sellafield site is £36.6 billion (discounted) as set out in its annual report and accounts for 2011-12.

Sickness Absence

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2012, Official Report, column 713-4W, on sick leave, what assessment he has made of the difference in the proportion of working days lost due to ill health between officers at AA grade and at SCS grade; and what assessment he has made of the use of mindfulness-based therapies in reducing the proportion of working days lost in his Department.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) takes the health and well-being of its staff very seriously. It continues to look at ways in which it can support staff of all grades, in work and to return to work.
	Since DECC provided the Member with data for the 12 month period ending March 2012, the average working days lost due to ill health at nearly all grades have continued to improve, as shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Period ending:  
			  March 2012 June 2012 September 2012 Percentage change from March 2012 to September 2012 
			 AO 7.4 8.2 6.3 14.9 
			 EO 7.5 8.3 5.2 30.7 
			 HEO 3.8 3.8 3.2 15.8 
			 SEO 3.63 4.2 3.5 3.6 
			 Grade 7 2.3 2.2 2.1 8.7 
			 Grade 6 1.8 2.2 2.4 -33.3 
			 SCS 2.4 1.7 0.8 66.7 
		
	
	DECC understands that mindfulness-based therapies can be used as a treatment for depression and recognises that this can be one of the factors involved in staff ill health absences. However if this is the case, DECC would leave the treatment to the medical profession, using our occupational health partners to advise us of the most appropriate approach.

Warm Front Scheme

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2012, Official Report, column 312W, on the Warm Front scheme, how many of the 21,956 eligible applications for a Warm Front grant have had energy efficiency or insulation measures installed in 2012-13 to date.

Gregory Barker: 6,006(1) households which applied to Warm Front in 2012-13 have had at least one main heating or insulation measure installed to date.
	(1) Figure as at end of November 2012. The reported figure is a snapshot at a point in time and excludes households that have been surveyed but whose works have yet to be allocated to an installer.

Warm Front Scheme

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2012, Official Report, column 312W, on the Warm Front scheme, how many successful applications for a Warm Front grant are awaiting energy efficiency or insulation measures to be installed in 2012-13 to date.

Gregory Barker: 3,202(1) households which applied to the Warm Front scheme in 2012-13 are awaiting the installation of a heating measure and 406 are awaiting the installation of insulation measures. Some households may be awaiting both heating and insulation measures.
	(1) Figure as of end of November 2012.

Warm Front Scheme

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2012, Official Report, column 311W, on the Warm Front scheme, what the average length of time was between a survey being completed for a Warm Front grant and an energy efficiency measure being installed in (a) 2012-13 to date and (b) in each of the previous 10 years.

Gregory Barker: The data required for this PQ are not held centrally. To provide a response would entail disproportionate cost. However, the following table shows the average time in working days for the installation of heating and insulation measures from the point of allocation to an installer to the point of installation. Carillion Energy Services, the Warm Front scheme manager, routinely monitors time scales from the point of allocation to an installer to the completion of work in order to measure installer performance under the scheme.
	
		
			 Average install time 
			 Working days 
			  2005-06(1) 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Insulation installs 30.88 33.18 27.59 33.11 17.22 18.21 21.99 10.68 
			 Heating installs 67.70 81.72 65.81 65.17 44.07 42.36 53.00 13.32 
			 (1) Data are not available prior to 2005.

Wind Power

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many wind turbines have been erected in the last three years; and how many such turbines were manufactured in the UK.

John Hayes: holding answer 17 December 2012
	In the last three years, 490 offshore and 2,150 onshore turbines (of which 1,312 are domestic-scale, under 10kw) have become fully operational in the UK. The Department does not hold data on when they were erected.
	While whole turbines are not currently manufactured in the UK, UK companies supply components for wind turbines which are exported to overseas manufacturers. The Government have set aside £60 million to attract large turbine manufacturing to assisted areas in England, with similar support provided by the Scottish Government, and companies such as Gamesa, AREVA and Siemens have announced intentions to establish UK facilities.

Wind Power: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects to make a decision on the Brechfa West wind farm application.

John Hayes: The Planning Act 2008 requires the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, my right hon. Friend the Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), to take a decision on cases submitted to him by the Planning Inspectorate under that Act within three months of the day following their receipt. In the case of the Brechfa West application, the Secretary of State received the report from the Planning Inspectorate on 12 December 2012 and his decision must, therefore, be made by 13 March 2013.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Business: Finance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills following his announcement on 12 December 2012, by what date he expects (a) the first and (b) all funds under the Small Business Tranche of the Business Finance Partnership to be drawn down; and what deadlines, benchmarks and targets he has set for this process.

Michael Fallon: Drawdown of the first round of funds made available under the Small Business Tranche of the Business Finance Partnership is subject to legal and commercial terms being agreed with the selected applicants and in, two cases, parliamentary approval. I therefore expect drawdown to start in January 2013.
	With regard to the remaining funds, due diligence on applicants is ongoing. It is important that in supporting new types of finance the Government are confident taxpayers' money is being targeted in the right way, and that small businesses will be able to benefit fully from this support. I hope to be able to announce allocation of the remaining funds in January 2013.

Business: Finance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what timetable he has set for legal and commercial terms to be finalised in relation to the Small Business Tranche of the Business Finance Partnership following his announcement on 12 December 2012.

Michael Fallon: Completion of legal and commercial negotiations is subject to selected applicants' agreement, and in two cases, investments are subject to parliamentary approval. I anticipate completion of negotiations and investments in January 2013.

Business: Finance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills following his announcement on 12 December 2012, by what date he expects 1,000 business finance advisers to be (a) recruited and (b) available to provide advice to firms; and what deadlines, benchmarks and targets he has set for this process.

Michael Fallon: As of 12 December 2012, there are over 1,300 accountant offices recruited to the Business Finance Adviser Scheme, which are already available to offer small and medium-sized enterprises advice.

Business: Finance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills following his announcement on 12 December 2012, whether business finance advisers will be available through the mentorsme online portal.

Michael Fallon: No, but the accountancy bodies will shortly publish a dedicated online portal to signpost businesses to Business Finance Advisers.

Business: Loans

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he made of changes in the rate of net lending to businesses in each English region in the last year for which figures are available.

Michael Fallon: Pursuant to my response to the hon. Member's previous question of 11 December 2012, Official Report, column 231W, there are a variety of sources of bank lending, including providers of asset, invoice and trade finance, bank lending, overdrafts and trade credit. Many of these sources are informal and unregulated and Government do not produce aggregate statistics on their entirety. While the Bank of England collects lending statistics on lending by monetary financial institutions at a national level, these are not broken down by region. The British Bankers Association does however publish statistics on bank lending to small and medium-sized enterprises which are split by region on a quarterly basis, which are freely available on their website.

Business: Recruitment

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises to employ staff; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The Government want to support growth by breaking down barriers and boosting opportunities by creating the right conditions for businesses to start up and thrive. We have continued to make good progress on our Parliament-long review of employment laws, which is about improving labour market regulation and focusing on those issues which matter to employers, without undermining important protections for individuals. Adding to changes already in place, such as the extension of the qualifying period for unfair dismissal, in September we announced further reforms that will give greater certainty and clarity to employers around dismissal processes, the unfair dismissal compensatory award and settlement agreements, as well as further streamlining employment tribunals. These proposed changes will also give small and medium-sized enterprises confidence to take people on.
	We have also launched an online tool to make it easier for first-time employers to access the information they need when taking on their first member of staff, which is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/employing-staff
	and the Business in You campaign has Government and the private sector working together to promote a range of business help and support on issues which include recruitment.

Business: Regulation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which regulations affecting business his Department has withdrawn or amended in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date; which regulations affecting business his Department expects to withdraw or amend in (i) 2013 and (ii) future years; and what estimate he has made of the net cost to business of each withdrawn or amended regulation.

Michael Fallon: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) publishes its biannual Statement of New Regulation listing a summary of regulations and their impact on business.
	Since 2011, BIS has published four statements listing regulations amended or withdrawn in 2011 and 2012. The fifth statement, published on 17 December 2012, lists regulations due to be introduced between January and June 2013. Regulations withdrawn or amended as a result of the Red Tape Challenge are published to the same timetable by the Better Regulation Executive in its Statement of New Regulation.
	All statements can be accessed from the following website:
	www.gov.uk

Business: Regulation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which regulations affecting business his Department has introduced in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date; which regulations affecting business his Department expects to introduce in (i) 2013 and (ii) future years; and what estimate he has made of the cost to business of each regulation.

Michael Fallon: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) publishes a biannual Statement of New Regulation listing a summary of regulations and their impact on business.
	Since 2011, BIS has published four statements listing regulations introduced in 2011 and 2012. The fifth statement, published on 17 December 2012, lists regulations due to be introduced between January and June 2013.
	These statements can be accessed from the following website:
	www.gov.uk

Communications Data Bill (Draft)

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with which businesses and organisations his Department has met to discuss the implications of the draft Communications Data Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: According to records held by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, one overseas-owned multinational company raised concerns about the draft Bill during a meeting to discuss a number of issues of interest to that company.

Communications Data Bill (Draft)

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received on the draft Communications Data Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: To the best of my knowledge the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has received one formal representation on the draft Bill. The Secretary of State discusses a wide range of issues regularly with colleagues in the House. The Home Office is the lead Department for the draft Communications Data Bill and we are aware that businesses have made representations directly to it about their concerns.

Computers

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on average per desktop computer for each full-time employee in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jo Swinson: At the end of Q2 (2012-13) the quarterly user charge which is based on 3,662 users including service provisions such as printing was £407 per user. The IT is provided through a Fujitsu outsourced contract which is due to end in 2014 for which the desktop charging model includes other service items and it is therefore not always possible to make a valid comparison with other desktop services delivered to other organisations. BIS is working with HM Treasury and the supplier to allow BIS to provide a figure which just covers desktop charges. Once agreed, this information will be available to all future quarterly figures.

Cosmetics: EU Law

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what steps the Government are taking to ensure that cosmetics companies based in the UK comply in full with the prohibition on importing and marketing of animal-tested cosmetics in line with the 7th amendment to the European cosmetics directive, directive 76/768 EEC, on its entry into force in 2013;
	(2)  what steps the Government are taking to ensure the enforcement in the UK of the prohibition on importing and marketing of animal-tested cosmetics in line with the 7th amendment to the European cosmetics directive, directive 76/768 EEC on its entry into force in 2013.

Jo Swinson: holding answer 17 December 2012
	Day-to-day enforcement of the regulations is the responsibility of local authority Trading Standards services. Trading Standards have access to the safety assessment dossiers which companies must retain for the cosmetic products they supply. These dossiers will contain information on how any testing has been carried out.
	The Department will work with Trading Standards to develop guidance on these provisions ahead of implementation of the 7th amendment to the European cosmetics directive. Anybody who is concerned that a product or its ingredients are supplied illegally should contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service.

Employee Ownership

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to his Department's consultation on employee owner status, by what process a reasonable price for the sale of shares back to an employer will be established.

Jo Swinson: We want this scheme to be flexible and open to all companies and employees who would benefit from it. It will be up to the employer and employee owner to determine the conditions for buy-back including how to establish a fair price. The Government will be providing guidance to assist both parties in how to do this.

Employee Ownership

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to his Department's consultation on employee owner status, whether the scheme will be restricted to UK company shares or whether shares and partnership interests in foreign companies will also be included.

Jo Swinson: It is the Government's intention to ensure that this status is available to all companies with share capital. The Government amendments tabled on 7 December 2012 ensured that overseas companies and European companies would be able to use the status.
	The employing company will also be able to grant shares in a parent company (which could be an overseas company).

Employee Ownership

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost to businesses of implementing the employee ownership scheme.

Jo Swinson: The employee owner status is a new employment status that companies limited by shares could use if they feel that the status would be beneficial to them. The main costs to companies that choose to use this status would be the costs related to issuing shares to their employee owners.
	The costs of putting in place an employee share scheme will vary significantly depending on the characteristics and size of a company. The majority of these costs will be one-off costs. This suggests that on aggregate, there would be an overall net benefit to companies that use the status.
	There may also be costs to businesses of familiarising themselves with the amended Employment Rights Act 1996, regardless of whether they use the employee shareholder status or not.

Employee Ownership

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what eligibility criteria will apply to firms and employees taking part in the employee ownership scheme.

Jo Swinson: The eligibility criteria are clearly set out in clause 27 of the Growth and Infrastructure Bill.
	They are that all companies with share capital, including overseas companies and European companies, may offer this type of contract and the individual must accept the contract and receive at least £2,000 worth of shares.

Employee Ownership

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills following his Department's consultation on employee owner status, whether he expects firms to advertise vacancies which are only available under employee owner status.

Jo Swinson: The employee shareholder status is only open to entities which are companies limited by shares. Companies are free to make choices about what type of employment contracts they offer and the Government consider that companies are best placed to decide how they hire people.
	It is possible that some companies may only offer employee shareholder contracts in the same way that they can currently offer contracts which fall under either the worker or employee statuses.

EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  which EU directives his Department transposed in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date; which EU directives his Department expects to transpose in (i) 2013 and (ii) the next two years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such directive to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector;
	(2)  which regulations his Department introduced as a result of EU legislation in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date; which regulations his Department expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2013 and (ii) the next two years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Jo Swinson: Information on the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills' (BIS) implementation of EU law has not until recently been collected centrally. Consequently we will need to draw information both on the transposition of directives and introduction of regulations to implement EU legislation for the years 2011 and 2012 from a number of sources. For EU measures where impact assessments have been published we will be able to provide the costs to business. We will deposit this information in the Libraries of the House in early January 2013.
	However, we do not believe it would be proportionate also to provide estimates of the cost to BIS of preparing, consulting on and implementing these measures.
	In the recently published Fifth Statement of New Regulation (SONR5) the Government have, for the first time, published new European Union measures which are being implemented in UK law and the associated costs to business from January to June 2013. This can be found at
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bis-fifth-statement-of-new-regulation-regulations-covering-january-to-june-2013
	We intend to also provide this information for the next SONR periods which are: SONR6 (July to December 2013) and SONR7 (January to June 2014). We believe this will considerably increase transparency and help industry prepare for the introduction of EU as well as domestic legislation.
	When EU measures are brought into law the impact assessments are placed in the impact assessments library,
	http://www.ialibrary.bis.gov.uk/
	As the hon. Member would expect, these provide costs to business.

Exports: Iraq

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the publication of sovereign debt data by UK Export Finance (UKEF) in October 2012, which defence exports comprised the 1% of Iraq's sovereign debt owed to UKEF attributed to the defence sector.

Michael Fallon: UK Export Finance, formerly the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD), recently published information, available in the Libraries of the House, about sovereign debts payable to ECGD. Paragraph 10 of the explanatory note sets out that, due to the age and incomplete nature of some of our records, judgment has to be made in some instances as to the precise nature of the goods and services that were supplied.
	The list of goods and services that make up the 1% of the original Iraq debt categorised as defence are:
	Vehicles spare parts, helicopter spares/electrical components, medical materials, medical laboratory equipment, Centaur military vehicles and spares, Sabre 51 beacons, Beethoven exploders, drilling machinery and equipment.

Foreign Students: Finance

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on offering maintenance grants for living costs to UK students studying at foreign universities.

David Willetts: There are no student support arrangements in place in England for those students seeking to study outside the UK. Therefore, students in England who choose to study at Higher Education Institutions outside the UK are not eligible to receive student support, including maintenance grants and loans from Student Finance England. We have no plans to change this.
	However, maintenance loans and grants continue to be available to English students undertaking a period of study abroad provided that period of study forms a part of the course that they are taking at a Higher Education Institution within the UK. For example, Erasmus students studying abroad for a year (or part of a year) remain eligible for maintenance support. The Government also support students taking up to a year abroad to study in a non-EU country. These students remain eligible for a tuition-fee loan and remain eligible to receive maintenance grants and loans.

Further Education

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the accuracy of statistics held on the Unistats website on further education colleges; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The Unistats website provides prospective students with comparable information, known as the Key Information Set, for higher education courses at universities and further education colleges. This includes data from the National Student Survey (NSS) and the Destination of Leavers of Higher Education (DLHE) surveys, which are independently collected by a survey agency appointed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). Data for further education colleges are also linked to the Individual Learner Record, which is subject to its own audit requirements.
	The HEFCE validates all Unistats data and each further education college (and each university) was given a preview of their Unistats data to check for accuracy and highlight any errors. In addition, as part of its early review of the Key Information Set, HEFCE is undertaking a small number of audits to establish whether there are systematic issues with the data. HEFCE intends to continue this audit activity in future years.

Government Departments: Disclosure of Information

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what (a) benchmarks and (b) targets he has set for the Data Strategy Board Breakthrough Fund and its delivery.

Matthew Hancock: The Data Strategy Board (DSB) Breakthrough Fund has been established to assist open data proposals where Government Departments, Government agencies and local authorities have identified short term barriers to data release.
	The target for the fund is to enable the increased release of public sector data with growth potential. This will be informed by priorities recommended by the DSB, the Open Data User Group and Sector Transparency Boards which are currently developing. The benchmark for the fund will be the current data-set available through:
	www.Data.gov.uk
	and it will also build upon the identification of growth enhancing data sets recommended through the DSB and the Shakespeare Review, which will report in spring 2013.

Government Departments: Disclosure of Information

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what (a) benchmarks and (b) targets he has set for the Open Data Immersion Programme and its delivery.

Matthew Hancock: The Open Data Immersion Programme comprises a series of events with prizes to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups to work with data owners to better understand how to re-use data sets in ways which create business opportunities.
	This is a new programme and no benchmarks currently exist but we will build the baseline from the first event in the programme. The target will be to provide support for as many market potential products as emanate from the events and will be dependent on the quality of the ideas from SME participants. It is therefore not feasible to set a target for the programme. However, the programme will be subject to an independent impact evaluation.

Government Departments: Disclosure of Information

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when bidding for firms wishing to apply for funds under the Open Data Immersion Programme will (a) open and (b) close.

Matthew Hancock: The Immersion Programme is a series of events for firms to participate in and not a fund for bids.
	BIS is currently working with the Open Data Institute, the Technology Strategy Board and the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) to determine the event themes and once agreed the opening and closing dates for the events will be publicised.
	These dates will be available in January 2013 and will be publicised on the Open Data Institute website at:
	www.theodi.org

Government Departments: Disclosure of Information

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when bidding for public sector bodies wishing to apply for funds under the Data Strategy Board Breakthrough Fund will (a) open and (b) close.

Matthew Hancock: The Data Strategy Board Breakthrough Fund is open to applications from Government Departments, Government agencies and local authorities.
	Applications to the fund will be considered on an ongoing basis over the remainder of the spending review period and we are prepared to assess applications from January 2013.

Insolvency

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to ensure that (a) shareholders and (b) other types of owners are not allowed to structure investment in companies in such a way as to become preferred creditors in the event of insolvency.

Jo Swinson: The order of priority in insolvency situations has been long established, and the list of preferred creditors is kept to an absolute minimum. Secured lending from whatever legitimate source is, however, vital to our commercial landscape and the elevated position of such lenders in the creditor hierarchy recognises its importance.
	It will be for the appointed officeholder of an insolvent company to consider the nature of any transaction(s) that led to any charge(s) being obtained and the validity of security held.

Insolvency

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to ensure that genuine investment into a company cannot be registered as a loan in order to allow investors to become preferred creditors in the event of insolvency.

Jo Swinson: It is a fundamental feature of our securitisation and insolvency law that lenders are able to invest in companies by way of secured loans. Secured lending is vital to our commercial landscape, enabling businesses to obtain funding to trade where they may otherwise be unable to do so. Its importance is particularly recognised by the elevated position of such lenders in the creditor hierarchy.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of the population of England is covered by local enterprise partnerships; what plans he has to extend coverage; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: There are a total of 39 local enterprise partnerships which cover 100% of the population of England.

Local Enterprise Partnerships: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 11 December 2012, Official Report, column 235W, on local economic partnerships: Greater London, if he will publish the terms of reference of the London enterprise panel capacity fund award; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: Guidance for the local enterprise partnership capacity fund is available on the Government's website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-enterprise-partnership-capacity-fund-round-2

Money Lenders

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many reports have been received by the illegal money lending teams in each (a) local authority area and (b) constituency; how many such reports resulted in further action being taken by the illegal money lending teams; and how many successful convictions of illegal money lenders have resulted from such reports in each of the last three years.

Jo Swinson: The Department does not hold this detailed level of information. Following the Government's reforms to the consumer landscape, since April 2012, the National Trading Standards Board now receives these reports, and reports to BIS in aggregate.
	Until April 2012, BIS received quarterly aggregate reports from the tackling illegal money lending teams in England, Wales and Scotland based on activity in local authorities. Between April 2004 and April 2012, the projects had:
	Identified over 2,500 illegal money lenders and arrested over 600 illegal money lenders and secured over 220 prosecutions, resulting in prison sentencing totalling over 117 years—some cases were connected to other, more serious criminal activity which took precedence over illegal money lending prosecutions.
	Seized over £2.1 million in cash.
	Identified over £28 million of assets that could be seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
	Helped over 16,000 victims of loan sharks.

New Businesses

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress his Department is making on achieving the Government's aim of making the UK the best place to start a business; what recent discussions he has had with the Confederation of British Industry on business start-up; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: We want to make the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a business, and for the next decade to be the most entrepreneurial and dynamic in Britain's history. There were 450,000 new company registrations in 2011/12—the highest since records began in 1997-98 and up from 360,000 in 2009-10. The World Bank(1) ranks the UK third in the G7 and 19th overall in the world for ease of starting a business.
	Lord Young was tasked by Government to assess the landscape for supporting new small businesses and his report and guide on small business start-ups and enterprise was published on 28 May 2012. A key message of his report was that this is a great time to start a business, with record numbers of people becoming their own boss, supported by a wide range of help and encouragement to entrepreneurs from all ages and backgrounds.
	We continue to engage with the CBI, alongside other business representative bodies, to discuss a range of issues including barriers to start-ups. The Secretary of State meets with the CBI on a regular basis and discussions cover business financing, including our emerging proposals for a business bank.
	(1 )Source:
	Doing Business 2013 report

Occupational Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps his Department has taken to promote best practice on workplace well-being.

Jo Swinson: This Department is committed to promoting a culture of workplace well-being, recognising that this is good for employees and also for employers.
	A clear example of this is BIS's work to promote a culture of flexible working. As well as extending the right to request flexible working to all, we are working, with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to drive culture change, particularly to encourage employers to think about the business benefits of flexible working when they recruit new employees. An employer group led by working families will be making practical recommendations about how businesses can benefit from flexible working and how they should consider building it into their recruitment practices.
	This Department has also jointly sponsored the Sickness Absence Review with DWP, where Dame Carol Black and David Frost brought forward a series of recommendations intended to foster a more coherent approach, through encouraging employers and individuals to play a more proactive role in managing absence and return to work. The review was conducted in the context of the Growth Agenda and fed into the wider Employment Law Review. The Government will publish their response shortly.
	BIS has also been a keen supporter of the excellent programme “Engage for Success”. This voluntary movement of leaders, managers and engagement practitioners is doing good work to promote the business benefits of effective employee engagement. “Engage for Success” recently launched a set of practical tools aimed at helping employers understand how to achieve employee engagement through focusing on four strategic enablers: strategic narrative; engaging managers; employee voice; and integrity. Further information can be found at:
	www.engageforsuccess.org
	BIS's partner organisations also have a role to play here, including the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES), which has responsibility for promoting Investors in People, a standard that puts employees and their interests at the heart of a business's success. In addition, ACAS also runs conferences to support workplace health, as part of its work to promote best practice around creating a modern workplace. Its seminar entitled ‘Health and Engagement' took place in Birmingham on 13 December 2012 and a ‘Health and Well-being' conference is planned for March 2013 in Nottingham. ACAS have also published an advisory booklet on ‘Health, Work and Wellbeing', which is available on its website:
	www.acas.org.uk
	In taking this work forward, this Department works closely with DWP, which also has a keen policy interest in this subject.

Occupational Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent research his Department has conducted into the relationship between workplace well-being and productivity.

Jo Swinson: In October 2012 BIS published a study, ‘Promoting High Performance Working’, which assessed the prevalence of high performance working practices and the factors that influence their use in small and medium-sized enterprises. The presence of high performance work practices is associated with improved business performance and contributes to well-being; employees report higher job satisfaction, motivation, involvement and commitment. More information about high performance working can be found on the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) website.
	BIS has also published a series of Work-Life Balance Surveys which look at issues including working hours, the provision and take-up of flexible working arrangements, and employee attitudes to work-life balance.
	These publications are available in the BIS area of the following website:
	www.gov.uk

Recruitment

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many civil servants his Department has recruited in each month since 2010; what the cost to the public purse was of such recruitment in each year since 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: The number and cost of new entrants to the civil service recruited by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills since May 2010 when the civil service recruitment freeze was implemented is given in the following tables. The tables also includes all leavers from the Department.
	
		
			 2010 
			  Recruits Leavers 
			 May 4 27 
			 June 1 24 
			 July 1 33 
			 August 1 40 
			 September 1 250 
			 October 20 141 
			 November 1 43 
			 December 0 18 
			 Total number 29 576 
		
	
	
		
			 Total cost (£) 200,126 
		
	
	
		
			 2011 
			  Recruits Leavers 
			 January 4 14 
			 February 6 25 
			 March 1 101 
			 April 0 31 
			 May 1 11 
			 June 0 226 
			 July 3 27 
			 August 2 36 
			 September 3 34 
			 October 23 37 
			 November 2 10 
			 December 5 20 
			 Total number 50 572 
			    
			 Total cost (£) 286,407 
		
	
	
		
			 2012 
			  Recruits Leavers 
			 January 34 72 
			 February 9 17 
			 March 16 21 
			 April 14 28 
			 May 9 20 
			 June 6 27 
			 July 16 21 
			 August 4 44 
			 September 12 29 
			 Total number 120 279 
			    
			 Total cost (£) 421,022 
		
	
	These figures include apprentices and graduate recruits from the civil service fast stream programme who are exempt from the recruitment freeze, as well as fixed term appointees recruited for their specialist expertise.

Recruitment

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to recruit staff to posts in his Department in each of the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: Given the current recruitment freeze, external recruitment will be limited to bringing in those with skills that are not available or cannot be quickly developed internally as business critical vacancies arise. In addition, in the next financial year at more junior levels we are expecting to offer opportunities for up to 60 new entrants by using a combination of the civil service fast stream graduate recruitment programme, apprenticeships and graduate internships.
	This represents around 2% of the total workforce of the core Department and UK Trade and Investment and is not expected to increase current headcount given turnover.
	All other vacancies will be filled from within the civil service.

Regeneration: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on regeneration in (a) Southend and (b) Essex.

Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable) and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles) meet frequently to discuss growth and regeneration issues, as do the Ministers of State responsible for local growth in BIS and CLG, but they have not met specifically to discuss Essex or Southend.
	The South East LEP sets the economic priorities across Essex, Kent and East Sussex at a strategic level, with input from local authorities and business. The LEP has secured an Enterprise Zone at Harlow and is administering some £50 million of Growing Places Fund. Alongside that work, Southend is one of 20 cities invited by Government to propose a Wave 2 City Deal, on which work is progressing well.
	The Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership brings together the Gateway boroughs, including Southend, to tackle the long term infrastructure and growth challenges of the area—overseen through the Thames Gateway Strategic Group by the Thames Gateway Minister, the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my hon. Friend the Member for Great Yarmouth (Brandon Lewis).
	Officials in central and local government are working closely with each other and with the private sector to ensure coherence between these arrangements and to help achieve growth in the Essex economy.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2012, Official Report, column 298W, on regional growth fund, what the monetary value was of each individual award under round one of the regional growth fund which has not yet received a final agreed offer.

Michael Fallon: Seven individual awards from round one of the regional growth fund have not yet received a final agreed offer as the company has not been able to agree terms and conditions. The following table shows the monetary value of each of these awards. BIS officials aim to get these offers agreed by the end of the year.
	
		
			 Number Amount (£ million) 
			 1 4,010,000 
			 2 12,900,000 
			 3 4,000,000 
			 4 2,000,000 
			 5 1,300,000 
			 6 3,600,000 
			 7 17,850,000

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 9 November 2012, Official Report, column 779W, on regional growth fund, how many (a) bids and (b) individual awards under round one only of the regional growth fund have not yet drawn down funds; and what the monetary value is of such bids and awards.

Michael Fallon: There were 67 successful bids under round 1. Twelve projects have since been withdrawn. and twenty-one projects with a total value of £88.5 million have not claimed payments to date.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2012, Official Report, column 298W, on regional growth fund, from which regions the awards under round one of the regional growth fund which have not yet agreed a final offer came.

Michael Fallon: Seven individual awards from round one of the regional growth fund have not yet received a final agreed offer as the company has not been able to agree terms and conditions. Of these, two are from the west midlands, one from the east midlands and two each from the north-east and north-west respectively.
	Officials in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills aim to get these offers agreed by the end of the year.

Secondment

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many (a) secondments and (b) temporary transfers to his Department there have been of staff whose principal employer is (i) a non-departmental public body, (ii) an executive agency, (iii) a non-ministerial Government Department and (iv) another public body in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13 to date;
	(2)  how many staff whose principal employer is (a) a non-departmental public body, (b) an Executive agency, (c) a non-ministerial Government Department and (d) another public body are currently working in his Department; and how many such staff there were in (i) 2011 and (ii) 2010.

Jo Swinson: The following table shows the number of (a) secondments and (b) temporary transfers to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) whose principal employer is (i) a non-departmental public body (NDPB), (ii) an executive agency, (iii) a non-ministerial Government Department and (iv) another public body in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13 to date.
	
		
			  2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 to date 
			 Secondment    
			 NDPB 2 — — 
			 Public corporation 1 1 — 
			 Public body — 1 — 
			 Executive agency — 1 2 
			     
			 Loan in/temporary transfer    
			 Non-ministerial Department — — 1 
			 Another Government Department — — 90 
			 Unknown 180 177 8 
			 Total 183 180 101 
		
	
	The data for 2010/11 and 2011/12 do not show the breakdown by type of employer for loans or temporary transfers into the Department, as the Department has only recently started to capture these data. However, the majority of these are people coming into BIS from other Government Departments.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people (a) attended accident and emergency (A and E) departments, (b) spent up to 120 minutes between arrival and departure in A and E, (c) spent between 121 and 240 minutes before departure in A and E and (d) spent over 240 minutes before departure in A and E in (i) North West London Hospitals NHS Trust and (ii) all London A and E departments in (A) 2010-11 and (B) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The number of attendances at accident and emergency for the specified providers by the duration to departure for each attendance in 2010-11 and 2011-12 is shown in the following tables. Data for 2011-12 are provisional and are therefore subject to change.
	
		
			 Number of attendances(1) at accident and emergency for specified providers(2) by the duration to departure(3) for each attendance in 2010-11 and 2011-12 provisional(4), activity in English NHS hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			   2010-11 
			   Duration to departure 
			    Minutes  
			 Provider code Provider name Total attendances 0-120 121-240 >240 Unknown 
			 RV8 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 172,300 64,112 98,536 9,652 — 
			 Q36 London SHA Treatment 3,274,513 1,284,888 1,809,444 179,155 1,026 
		
	
	
		
			   2011-12 (Provisional) 
			   Duration to departure 
			    Minutes  
			 Provider code Provider name Total attendances 0-120 121-240 >240 Unknown 
			 RV8 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 206,885 105,392 91,286 10,207 — 
			 Q36 London SHA Treatment 3,627,530 1,524,814 1,905,452 161,736 35,528 
			 (1)A and E attendances Activity at A and E Departments is recorded as the number of attendances. It should be noted that an individual person may attend the same or different A and E departments within any given year and therefore this does not represent the number of patients. (2)A and E service providers A provider code is a unique code that identifies an organisation acting as a health care provider (e.g. NHS trust or primary care trust). Hospital providers can also include treatment centres (TC). Normally, if data are tabulated by health care provider, the figure for an NHS trust gives the activity of all the sites as one aggregated figure. However, in the case of those with embedded treatment centres, these data are quoted separately. In these cases, ‘-X’ is appended to the code for the rest of the trust, to remind users that the figures are for all sites of the trust excluding the treatment centres. The quality of TC returns are such that data may not be complete. Some NHS trusts have not registered their TC as a separate site, and it is therefore not possible to identify their activity separately. Data from some independent sector providers, where the onus for arrangement of dataflows is on the commissioner, may be missing. Care must be taken when using these data as the counts may be lower than true figures. (3)Duration to departure The total amount of time spent in the A and E department. This calculated as the difference in time from arrival at A and E to the time when the patient is discharged from A and E care. This includes being admitted to hospital, died in the department, discharged with no follow up or discharged—referred to another specialist department. (4)Provisional data The data are provisional and may be incomplete or contain errors for which no adjustments have yet been made. Counts produced from provisional data are likely to be lower than those generated for the same period in the final dataset. This shortfall will be most pronounced in the final month of the latest period i.e. November from the (month 9) April to November extract. It is also probable that clinical data are not complete, which may in particular affect the last two months of any given period. There may also be errors due to coding inconsistencies that have not yet been investigated and corrected. Data quality: Hospital Episode Statistics are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The Health and Social Care Information Centre liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Antibiotics: Research

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the UK Five Year Anti-Microbial Resistance Strategy and Action Plan will be published.

Daniel Poulter: The UK Five Year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy and Action Plan 2013-2018 is expected to be published in February 2013.

Blood

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many units of blood were collected by NHS Blood and Transplant England in each of the last 12 months for which data is available.

Daniel Poulter: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for the provision of a reliable, efficient supply of blood to hospitals in England and North Wales.
	The number of units of blood collected is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Monthly whole blood collections by NHSBT in England and North Wales 
			  England North Wales Monthly totals for whole blood collections in England and North Wales 
			 2011    
			 December 153,094 1,788 154,882 
			     
			 2012    
			 January 166,662 1,738 168,400 
			 February 152,498 1,366 153,864 
			 March 160,467 1,860 162,327 
			 April 158,486 1,658 160,144 
			 May 169,626 1,833 171,459 
			 June 153,001 1,588 154,589 
			 July 164,582 1,707 166,289 
			 August 161,736 1,731 163,467 
			 September 141,887 1,695 143,582 
			 October 162,792 1,514 164,306 
			 November 162,183 1,630 163,813 
			 Overall total number of whole blood collections in last 12 months — — 1,927,122 
			 Source: NHS Blood and Transplant

Castlebeck

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has received a full copy of the review for Castlebeck produced by PricewaterhouseCoopers for Castlebeck Limited.

Norman Lamb: The Secretary of State for Health, the right hon. Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has not received a full copy of the internal review for Castlebeck Ltd produced by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Death: Winter

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many excess winter deaths there were in England in each year since 1997.

Daniel Poulter: The Office for National Statistics publishes national statistics detailing the number of excess winter deaths in England annually. Excess winter deaths are calculated as the difference between the number of deaths during the four winter months (December to March) and the average number of deaths during the preceding autumn (August to November) and the following summer (April to July). Figures for the latest winter season (2011-12) are provisional and rounded to the nearest 100; figures for all other winters are final and rounded to the nearest 10.
	
		
			 Number of excess winter deaths in England, 1997-98 to 2011-12 
			 Winter season Excess winter deaths 
			 1997-98 21,740 
			 1998-99 44,010 
			 1999-2000 45,650 
			 2000-01 23,290 
			 2001-02 25,790 
			 2002-03 22,620 
			 2003-04 21,930 
			 2004-05 29,740 
			 2005-06 23,740 
			 2006-07 22,380 
			 2007-08 23,290 
			 2008-09 34,000 
			 2009-10 24,170 
			 2010-11 24,120 
			 2011-12 22,800 
			 Source: Office for National Statistics Excess Winter Mortality in England and Wales, 2011-12 (Provisional) and 2010-11 (Final), published 29 November 2012: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health2/excess-winter-mortality-in-england-and-wales/2011-12--provisional--and-2010-11--final-/index.html

Epilepsy

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what representations he has received on the effectiveness of the Government's strategy on (a) epilepsy diagnosis and management and (b) sudden death and epilepsy; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether the Government intend to review their strategy on sudden death and epilepsy.

Norman Lamb: Ministers and officials have meetings and receive representations from a wide range of organisations and individuals as part of the process of policy development and delivery. These include representations on all aspects of epilepsy care as well as sudden unexpected death in epilepsy. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings and representations.
	The previous Administration published the national service framework (NSF) for long-term conditions in 2005 as a 10-year strategy to improve access, experience and outcomes for people with a long-term neurological condition. By implementing the NSF's quality requirements, local service commissioners would support improvements to areas such as diagnosis/treatment and information provision, which would reduce the risk of seizures and epilepsy related deaths. We have made no overall assessment of the effectiveness of implementation of the NSF, though the long-term neurological conditions research initiative has provided some information on its impact.
	The mandate to the NHS Commissioning Board sets out the objectives for the national health service and highlights the areas of health and care where the Government expect to see improvements. The objectives in the mandate focus on those areas identified as being of greatest importance to people and include managing ongoing physical and mental health conditions. In this respect, the mandate seeks improvements in the way care is provided to people by centring care on the person rather than on the specific condition.

EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which EU directives his Department transposed in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date; which EU directives his Department expects to transpose in (i) 2013 and (ii) the next two years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such directive to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector;
	(2)  which regulations his Department introduced as a result of EU legislation in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date; which regulations his Department expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2013 and (ii) the next two years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Daniel Poulter: The Department of Health is responsible for the transposition of the following European Union (EU) directives into United Kingdom law and introducing the following regulations as a result of EU legislation:
	1. EU directives transposed or to be transposed:
	Directive 2010/53/EU (organ transplantation)
	Directive 2010/53/EU on standards of quality and safety of human organs intended for transplantation was transposed by the deadline, 27 August 2012. The estimated set-up cost for the public sector (NHS both centrally and at transplant centres) is £2.758 million, with an ongoing cost over a 10-year period of around £1.605 million per year. Over the same period, the set-up cost for the private sector was estimated at £300,000 with an annual ongoing cost of £345,000.
	Directive 2010/84/EU (Pharmacovigilance)
	The Department transposed directive 2010/84/EU amending, as regards pharmacovigilance, directive 2001/83/EC on the Community code relating to medicinal products for human use in July 2012. The final impact assessment identified annual cost to UK business at £4.6 million (annual costs £7.6 million, annual benefits £3.0 million).
	Directive 2011/24/EU (cross border healthcare)
	We plan to implement directive 2011/24/EU on cross border health care allowing EU citizens to seek planned health care treatment in other EU member states on 25 October 2013. The estimated costs and benefits of implementing the directive will be included in an impact assessment as part of the Department's consultation process now planned by spring 2013.
	Directive 2011/62/EU (falsified medicines)
	We will transpose directive 2011/62/EU in 2013. An initial assessment of the costs of the directive has been made in a current public consultation. This assessment identifies annual cost to UK business at £13.1 million (annual costs £13.11 million, annual benefits £0.013 million).
	Directive 2011/100/EU (in vitro diagnostic medical devices)
	Directive 2011/100/EU, placing variant Creutzfeld-Jacob disease (vCJD) assays into a technical annex of directive 98/79/EC that subjects in vitro diagnostic medical devices (IVDs) to the greatest level of pre-market scrutiny, was transposed in May 2012. The current costs on the public and private sector, as set out in the final impact assessment, are estimated to be nil insofar as there are not currently any vCJD IVDs on the market. The potential future costs per assay are estimated to have a one-off cost of between £12,000 and £18,000 and annual costs of between £9,000 and £10,000.
	Directive 2012/15/EU
	The Department need to transpose Commission implementing directive 2012/15/EU laying down information procedures for the exchange, between member states, of human organs, intended for transplantation but hope to do so by amending a definition in the Quality and Safety of Organs Intended for Transplantation Regulations 2012 (2012 No. 1501). Moreover, the present policy thinking is that the amendment might be included with other tissue regulations so there would be no significant extra cost.
	Directive 2012/26/EU (Pharmacovigilance)
	The Department will transpose directive 2012/26/EU amending, as regards pharmacovigilance, directive 2001/83/EC on the Community code relating to medicinal products for human use in October 2013. This directive makes minor procedural amendments and we do not expect additional costs.
	2. Regulations introduced as a result of EU legislation including technical amendments:
	Commission regulation (EU) No. 712/2012 of 3 August 2012 amending regulation (EC) No. 1234/2008 concerning the examination of variations to the terms of marketing authorisations for medicinal products for human use and veterinary medicinal products:
	This regulation has led to some technical amendment of the Medicines (Products for Human Use) (Fees) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/504). The amending statutory instrument (SI) is the Medicines (Products for Human Use) (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/712) which came into force on 2 November 2012.
	This regulation did not lead to additional annual costs.
	Further technical amendments based on Commission regulation (EC) 712/2012 will be included in the Medicines (Products for Human Use) (Fees) Regulations 2013.
	The Human Medicines Regulations 2012
	The Human Medicines Regulations 2012 (SI No. 2012/1916) implement directive 2010/84/EU amending as regards pharmacovigilance directive 2001/83/EC and regulation (EU) 1235/2010 amending as regards pharmacovigilance regulation (EC) No. 726/2004.
	The Medical Devices (Amendment) Regulations 2012
	The Medical Devices (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/1426) implement directive 2011/100/EU amending directive 98/79/EC on in vitro diagnostic medical devices.
	Regulation 722/2012
	Regulations to be made to implement Regulation 722/2012 concerning particular requirements as regards the requirements laid down in Council directives 90/385/EEC and 93/42/EEC with respect to active implantable medical devices and medical devices manufactured utilising tissues of animal origin; maximum cost on UK private sector of £24,000 per annum.
	Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 520/2012
	Regulations to be made to implement Commission implementing regulation (EU) No. 520/2012 on the performance of pharmacovigilance activities provided for in regulation (EC) No. 726/2004 and directive 2001/83/EC. These regulations will jointly implement this regulation and the falsified medicines directive.
	3. Directives not yet transposed
	Directive 2009/39 (PARNUTS)
	The PARNUTS directive for particular nutritional uses (directive 2009/39) is subject to an implementation timetable. It is close to political agreement which would lead to UK implementing regulations in 2015 or 2016.
	The following directives and regulations are currently under negotiation and are not expected to be fully transposed or to enter into force before 2015-16. These include:
	Directive 2001/83/EC, regulation (EC) No. 178/2002 and regulation (EC) No. 1223/2009 and proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on in vitro diagnostic medical devices.
	Proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on serious cross border threats to health.
	Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on establishing a Health for Growth Programme, the third multi-annual programme of EU action in the field of health for the period 2014-2020 (First Reading).
	Proposal for a directive amending Council directive 89/105/EEC of 21 December 1988 relating to the transparency of measures regulating the pricing of medicinal products for human use and their inclusion within the scope of national health insurance systems.
	Regulation on clinical trials on medical products for human use.
	In order to increase transparency, in the forthcoming Statement of New Regulation (SNR5) the Government will, for the first time, be publishing those new EU measures which are being implemented in UK law and have a direct effect on business.

Health Professions: Training

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many students entered training to become a (a) nurse, (b) midwife and (c) GP in England in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The Department does not collect figures on nurses and midwives entering training. However, the number of training places commissioned for nursing and midwifery is collected.
	The following table shows the number of full-time equivalent commissions for nursing and midwifery in the last five years.
	
		
			 Nursing and midwifery training commissions 2007-08 to 2011-12 
			  Commissions 
			  Nursing Midwifery 
			 2007-08 19,352 2,071 
			 2008-09 20,663 2,272 
			 2009-10 20,829 2,482 
			 2010-11 20,092 2,488 
			 2011-12 17,741 2,484 
			 Note: The midwifery figures include both degree and 18 month diploma courses. Source: Multi-professional education and training monitoring returns 
		
	
	The actual number of training commissions for nurses and midwives in 2012-13 will not be available until May 2013.
	The number of general practitioner trainees appointed for 2008 is not held by the Department. The numbers appointed in England since 2009 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 General practitioner trainee appointments 2009-12 
			  Number 
			 2009 2,691 
			 2010 2,800 
			 2011 2,658 
			 2012 2,669 
			 Source: www.openrecruitment.org.uk

Heart Diseases: Children

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times paediatric cardiac transplant services have been moved between hospitals in the last 20 years; and how long the process took to complete for each such transfer.

Daniel Poulter: There have been no occasions where paediatric cardiac transplant services have been moved between hospitals.

Hernias: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished admissions episodes there were and what the (a) mean and (b) median time waited was in days for hernia repair procedures in (i) North West London Hospitals NHS Trust and (ii) all London acute hospitals in (A) 2010-11 and (B) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The number of finished admission episodes (FAEs) and mean and median time waited (days) for hernia repair procedures during 2010-11 and 2011-12 for North West London Hospitals NHS Trust and London strategic health authority is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of finished admission episodes (FAEs)(1) and mean and median time waited(2) (days) for North West London Hospitals NHS Trust and for London strategic health authority (SHA) of treatment for hernia repair procedures(3) for 2010-11 and 2011-12, activity in English NHS hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			   2010-11 2011-12 
			 Procedure  Total FAEs Mean time waited Median time waited Total FAEs Mean time waited Median time waited 
			 Hernia repair North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 790 71.7 70 830 127.0 150 
			  London SHA Treatment 15,955 70.5 62 16,739 80.5 67 
			 (1)Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. (2)Time waited (days) Time waited (days) statistics from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are not the same as published Referral to Treatment (RTT) time waited statistics. HES provides counts and time waited for all patients between decision to admit and admission to hospital within a given period. Published RTT waiting statistics measure the time waited between referral and start of treatment. (3)Duration to departure The total amount of time spent in the accident and emergency A and E department. This is calculated as the difference in time from arrival at A and E to the time when the patient is discharged from A and E care. This includes being admitted to hospital, died in the department, discharged with no follow up or discharged—referred to another specialist department. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre.

HIV Infection

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department's updated HIV strategy will be published.

Daniel Poulter: HIV will be covered in the sexual health policy document which will set out the framework for improving all aspects of sexual health including HIV in England. We plan to publish the document as soon as possible.

Hospitals: Admissions

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) discharges and (b) emergency readmissions within 28 days of discharge for those aged over 75 there were, in line with Hospital Episode Statistics measurement guidelines, by primary care trust, in 2011-12.

Anna Soubry: Information on the number of emergency readmissions within 28 days of discharge for 2011-12 is not yet available. Information on the standardised rate of emergency readmissions by primary care trust (the number of emergency readmissions divided by the number of discharges, standardised for changes in case mix) is available for 2010-11 and earlier years from the website of the Health and Social Care Information Centre at:
	https://indicators.ic.nhs.uk/webview/

Injuries: Fireworks

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will estimate the cost of firework-related injuries to the NHS in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how many people were admitted to hospital for firework-related injuries in England in the last 12 months.

Daniel Poulter: The Department does not collect the cost to the national health service of treating firework-related injuries. There were 164 finished admission episodes of people admitted to hospital with an external cause code of W39—Discharge of Firework—in 2011-12(1). This figure is not a count of all admissions for firework-related injuries, only those with this specific external cause recorded.
	(1) Note: A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics, Health and Social Care Information Centre

Medicine: Research

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take to increase the availability of clinical data for research.
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the European Medicines Agency and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency on whether clinical data should be published for the purposes of research.

Daniel Poulter: The Government launched the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) in March 2012. As agreed in the “Strategy for UK Life Sciences”, the CPRD is the result of a £60 million investment by the National Institute for Health Research and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and will provide access to data that support clinical trials and population observational studies on an unprecedented scale.
	The CPRD operates across England, connecting patient information from general practitioners and hospitals to other records, such as disease registries, and holds the resultant information in anonymised form to protect patients’ privacy. The combined datasets can be used to answer medical research questions, and the results shared via peer reviewed publications. Future projects include the addition of air pollution data, social care records and potential for working with UK Biobank. The CPRD also aims to link with similar systems that cover populations in Scotland and Wales. Governance approval is sought for all new data linkages.
	Since the service was launched in March 2012, 16 global pharmaceutical companies have been granted CPRD data licences, over 100 research studies have been submitted and 623 researchers have registered on the CPRD website. We will build on this early platform to provide an invaluable resource for the research community.
	Clinical data and linked data, in a research-usable, anonymised format, are made available via the CPRD to a wide range of researchers for use in approved research projects. These research projects meet the needs of medicine/device regulators as well the needs of commercial companies required under regulations to undertake specific research studies. Discussions between CPRD and researchers, regulators and commercial companies are conducted on a regular basis to ensure the role that United Kingdom data can play in medicine/device safety and improvement in public health is maximised. The anonymised data are published against a specific independently approved protocol written by researchers who are under legal contract to CPRD for access to the required dataset for each research study protocol.
	The CPRD is also developing specific data/research tools to help the understanding of the use of medicines in pregnancy and in children, as well as in the immediate period after launch of a new medicine. These tools are in response to the requirements of regulators such as the European Medicines Agency and the MHRA.
	To complement the work of the CPRD, the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) launched its new data linkage service on 17 September 2012, in line with commitments set out in the “Strategy for UK Life Sciences”. The data linkage service adds significant value to individual sets of data by combining and matching them at an anonymised individual record level in a secure environment. From April 2013 the service will begin to offer anonymised extracts of linked data on a routine (i.e. monthly) basis. The volume of extracts available will grow as the datasets within the HSCIC increase. HSCIC is working with the CPRD and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry to identify priority areas for linkage.
	Sir David Nicholson will lead on delivering the national health service vision for genomics, starting with a process to ensure that from April 2014 contracts are in place for whole genome sequences for NHS patients. Access arrangements will be considered as part of this process. To ensure public confidence in matters of confidentiality and access, this work will be monitored by the chief medical officer for England. Access would only be to anonymised and aggregated data to carry out research likely to benefit the health of UK citizens. The NHS will act as custodians of these data, ensuring that doctors have the information they need and researchers can carry out health research while privacy of the patients is ensured.

Meningitis: Vaccination

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timeframe is for the introduction of the MenB vaccination.

Daniel Poulter: There are currently no authorised vaccines available to protect against meningococcal B. However, a meningococcal B vaccine (Bexero) has been recommended recently by the European Medicines Agency for market authorisation. In anticipation of the availability of a meningococcal B vaccine, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI—the independent expert committee that provides advice to Government on immunisation) is evaluating possible meningococcal B vaccination strategies. As part of this assessment, JCVI is considering evidence on the epidemiology and carriage of different meningococcal serogroup B strains, the costs of treating meningococcal serogroup B disease and the costs of treating the long-term conditions that result from this disease, as well as the quality of life of affected individuals.
	JCVI's evaluation is expected to be completed during 2013.
	The Department will consider the advice of JCVI once received and depending on the advice, the possible introduction of a meningococcal B vaccination programme in conjunction with the NHS Commissioning Board and Public Health England.

NHS: Per Capita Costs

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the net expenditure per head by the NHS was in England in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The following table shows total net NHS expenditure and NHS expenditure per head for England 2006-07 to 2010-11. Data for 2011-12 are not yet available.
	
		
			 Net NHS Expenditure 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Total Expenditure (£ million) 76,926 83,335 90,035 97,272 99,249 
			 Expenditure per head (£) 1,515 1,631 1,749 1,877 1,900 
			 Source: HM Treasury Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2012 (Tables 9.11 and 9.15).

North of England Cancer Network

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what funding his Department has provided to the North of England Cancer Network in each of the last four financial years;
	(2)  how many members of staff have been employed by the North of England Cancer Network in each of the last four financial years;
	(3)  if he will meet hon. Members to discuss the steps his Department intends to take to safeguard the services provided by the (a) North of England Cancer Network and (b) North of England Cardiovascular Network.

Daniel Poulter: Information concerning the funding received by the North East Cancer Network in last four years and its staffing levels during that time is not held centrally. Funding to support cancer networks is mainly provided through what is called the Strategic Health Authority (SHA) bundle. However, it is for each SHA to determine how the total amount they receive in the SHA bundle is allocated to specific services, such as cancer networks, taking into account the needs of local populations. Staffing levels for cancer networks are a matter for local national health service organisations.
	The NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB) Authority has set out its plans to establish a small number of national networks to improve health services for specific patient groups or conditions, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. Called strategic clinical networks, from 1 April 2013, these organisations will build on the success of network activity, which, over the last 10 years, has led to significant improvements in the delivery of patient care. Funding allocated for clinical networks in 2013-14 is £42 million.
	These networks will exist for up to five years and will be managed by 12 locally based support teams. All primary care trusts have developed comprehensive legacy documents and network activities are included in these. In particular, it will be the role of the 12 associate directors who will lead the network support teams to ensure that the transition is well managed at a local level. The NHS CB expects that the associate directors posts and network manager posts will be recruited to shortly, and it is likely that many of the successful applicants will be individuals already engaged in clinical network activity. We have been advised that that there will be some continuity between North East Cancer network and the new network support team.

Nutrition

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department will continue with the Supermeals campaign in 2013; and how much will be spent on any forthcoming campaigns to promote healthy eating, including the budget for promotion, advertising, social media and securing public figures to be part of it.

Daniel Poulter: Last year's Supermeals campaign was part of the ongoing Change4Life programme which encourages people to
	“eat well, move more, live longer”.
	Building on the success of Supermeals the Department will be launching a new healthy eating campaign in January 2013.
	The planned budget (excluding VAT) for January's campaign is as follows:
	Media (including Television, Radio and Press, Paid Search and Online Display Advertising): £1,975,000
	Social Media: £10,000
	No public figures are being paid to promote the campaign.
	The planned budget is provisional as the campaign is being finalised.

Obstetrics: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacancies there were for (a) doctors and (b) nurses specialising in obstetrics in each NHS trust providing maternity services in the London Strategic Health Authority area (i) in total and (ii) by NHS trust in March (A) 2010 and (B) 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The information is not available in the format requested. The following table shows vacancy rates and numbers for consultants and midwives in the obstetrics and gynaecology speciality in the London Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area as at 31 March 2010.
	The NHS and GP vacancy collections and publications have been suspended since 2011 pending the outcome of the Department of Health-led Fundamental Review of Data Returns.
	
		
			 Total and three month vacancy rates and numbers for all consultants in the obstetrics and gynaecology specialty in London Strategic Health Authority 
			    Obstetrics and gynaecology 
			    Vacancy rate (%) Vacancy (No.) Three month vacancy rate (%) Three month vacancy (No.) Staff in post (full-time equivalents) Staff in post (headcount) 
			          
			 England   2.2 36 0.5 9 1,599 1,670 
			          
			 London  Q36 2.2 8 0.5 2 345 373 
			  Barking and Dagenham Primary Care Trust (PCT) 5C2 — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust RF4 0.0 0 0.0 0 18 18 
			  Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust RVL 8.5 1 0.0 0 11 12 
			  Barnet PCT 5A9 * 0 * 0 0 0 
			  Barts and The London NHS Trust RNJ 0.0 0 0.0 0 18 18 
			  Bexley Care Trust TAK — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  Brent Teaching PCT 5K5 — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  Bromley PCT 5A7 — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  Camden PCT 5K7 * 0 * 0 4 5 
			  Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust RQM 0.0 0 0.0 0 20 23 
			  City and Hackney Teaching PCT 5C3 — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  Croydon PCT 5K9 — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  Ealing Hospital NHS Trust RC3 * 0 * 0 6 6 
			  Ealing PCT 5HX — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  Enfield PCT 5C1 * 1 * 1 0 0 
			  Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust RVR 0.0 0 0.0 0 10 11 
			  Great Ormond Street Hospital For Children NHS Trust RP4 — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  Greenwich Teaching PCT 5A8 — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust RJ1 0.0 0 0.0 0 22 22 
			  Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 5H1 — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  Haringey Teaching PCT 5C9 — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  Harrow PCT 5K6 — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  Havering PCT 5A4 — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  The Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust RAS * 1 * 1 7 7 
			  Hillingdon PCT 5AT — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust RQX 9.5 1 * 0 10 10 
			  Hounslow PCT 5HY — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust RYJ 0.0 0 0.0 0 34 41 
			  Islington PCT 5K8 — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  Kensington and Chelsea PCT 5LA — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust RJZ 0.0 0 0.0 0 21 23 
		
	
	
		
			  Kingston Hospital NHS Trust RAX 0.0 0 0.0 0 11 11 
			  Kingston PCT 5A5 — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  Lambeth PCT 5LD — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  The Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust RJ2 * 0 * 0 7 7 
			  Lewisham PCT 5LF — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  London Q36 — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust RJ6 * 0 * 0 7 7 
			  Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust RP6 — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  Newham PCT 5C5 * 0 * 0 1 1 
			  Newham University Hospital NHS Trust RNH 0.0 0 0.0 0 12 12 
			  North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust RAP * 2 * 0 7 7 
			  North West London Hospitals NHS Trust RV8 0.0 0 0.0 0 15 16 
			  Redbridge PCT 5NA — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  Richmond and Twickenham PCT 5M6 — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust RT3 — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust RAL 0.0 0 0.0 0 14 16 
			  The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust RPY * 0 * 0 4 4 
			  Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust RAN — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  South London Healthcare NHS Trust RYQ 8.9 2 0.0 0 20 19 
			  Southwark PCT 5LE — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  St George's Healthcare NHS Trust RJ7 0.0 0 0.0 0 14 15 
			  Sutton and Merton PCT 5M7 — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  Tower Hamlets PCT 5C4 * 0 * 0 1 1 
			  University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust RRV 0.0 0 0.0 0 26 29 
			  Wandsworth PCT 5LG — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  West London Mental Health NHS Trust RKL — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust RFW * 0 * 0 7 8 
			  Westminster PCT 5LC — 0 — 0 0 0 
			  Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust RGC * 0 * 0 8 8 
		
	
	
		
			  The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust RKE 0.0 0 0.0 0 14 16 
			 ‘*’ = Figures where staff in post and number of vacancies are less than 10. ‘—’ = Figures where staff in post and vacancies are both nil. Notes: 1. SHA figures are based on trusts and do not necessarily reflect the geographical provision of healthcare. 2. A vacancy is defined as one which employers are actively trying to fill as at 31 March. 3. Total vacancy rates are total vacancies expressed as a percentage of total vacancies plus staff in post from the previous September medical and dental workforce census (full-time equivalent). 4. Three month vacancies are vacancies as at 31 March 2010 which trusts are actively trying to fill which had lasted for three months or more (full-time equivalents). 5. Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post from the previous September medical and dental workforce census (full-time equivalent). 6. Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number. 7. Percentages are calculated on unrounded figures and are then rounded to one decimal place. 8. Data Quality—The NHS Information Centre for health and social care seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies. Source: The Health and Social Care Information Centre Vacancies Survey March 2010

Official Cars

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which Ministers in his Department have been allocated Government cars; and what the last dates were on which such cars were used by each Minister for (a) individual and (b) pool car use.

Daniel Poulter: The Department has one allocated Government car which is used by the entire ministerial team. As at close of business on the 12 December 2012 the car was last used by each Minister on the following dates:
	
		
			  Date 
			 Secretary of State for Health (Mr Jeremy Hunt) 12 December 2012 
			 Minister of State for Health (Mr Norman Lamb) 12 December 2012 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Dr Daniel Poulter) 30 November 2012 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (The Earl Howe) 4 December 2012 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Anna Soubry) 10 December 2012 
		
	
	As at close of business on the 12 December 2012 Ministers last used the Government Car Service pool car service on the following dates:
	
		
			  Date 
			 Minister of State for Health (Mr Norman Lamb) 12 December 2012 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary Secretary of State for Health (Dr Daniel Poulter) 12 December 2012 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (The Earl Howe) 6 December 2012 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Anna Soubry) 6 December 2012

Surgery: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished admission episodes there were and what the (a) mean and (b) median time waited was in days for (i) hip replacement, (ii) hysterectomy and (iii) cataract removal procedures at (A) North West London Hospitals NHS Trust and (B) all London hospitals in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The number of finished admission episodes (FAEs) and mean and median time waited for hip replacement, hysterectomy and cataract removal procedures during 2010-11 and 2011-12 for North West London Hospitals NHS Trust and London Strategic Health Authority is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of finished admission episodes (FAEs)(1) and mean and median time waited(2) (days) for North West London Hospitals NHS Trust and for London Strategic Health Authority of Treatment for (i) hip replacement, (ii) hysterectomy and (Hi) cataract removal procedures(3) for 2010-11 and 2011-12 
			 Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			   2010-11 2011-12 
			 Procedure Provider Total FAEs Mean time waited Median time waited Total FAEs Mean time waited Median time waited 
			 Hip replacement North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 390 95.6 88 299 116.9 111 
			  London SHA Treatment 9,067 89.1 83 9,377 94.3 86 
			 Hysterectomy North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 183 83.2 80 210 92.7 86 
			  London SHA Treatment 4,536 65.4 54 4,563 68.8 52 
			 Cataract removal North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 870 39.9 41 792 65.9 66 
		
	
	
		
			  London SHA Treatment 47,230 57.4 49 48,449 66.8 62 
			 (1)Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. (2)Time waited (days) Time waited (days) statistics from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are not the same as published Referral to Treatment (RTT) time waited statistics. HES provides counts and time waited for all patients between decision to admit and admission to hospital within a given period. Published RTT waiting statistics measure the time waited between referral and start of treatment. (3)Duration to departure The total amount of time spent in the Accident and Emergency department. This calculated as the difference in time from arrival at A and E to the time when the patient is discharged from A and E care. This includes being admitted to hospital, died in the department, discharged with no follow up or discharged—referred to another specialist department. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Surgery: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished admissions episodes there were and what the (a) mean and (b) median time waited was in days for cholecystectomy procedures in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12 at (A) North West London Hospitals NHS Trust and (B) all other London hospitals; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The number of finished admission episodes (FAEs) and mean and median time waited for cholecystectomy procedures during 2010-11 and 2011-12 for North West London Hospitals NHS Trust and London Strategic Health Authority is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of finished admission episodes (FAEs)(1) and the mean and median time waited(2) (days) for North West London Hospitals NHS Trust and London Strategic Health Authority (SHA) of treatment for cholecystectomy procedures(3) for 2010-11 and 2011-12 
			 Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			   2010-11 2011-12 
			 Procedure Provider Total FAEs Mean time waited Median time waited Total FAEs Mean time waited Median time waited 
			 Cholecystectomy North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 327 79.8 77 368 111.6 132 
			  London SHA Treatment 6,484 74.5 64 7,367 81.5 68 
			 (1)Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. (2)Time waited (days) Time waited (days) statistics from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are not the same as published Referral to Treatment (RTT) time waited statistics. HES provides counts and time waited for all patients between decision to admit and admission to hospital within a given period. Published RTT waiting statistics measure the time waited between referral and start of treatment. (3)Duration to departure The total amount of time spent in the Accident and Emergency (A and E) department. This calculated as the difference in time from arrival at A&E to the time when the patient is discharged from A and E care. This includes being admitted to hospital, died in the department, discharged with no follow up or discharged—referred to another specialist department. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Visual Impairment: Devon

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average age was of people diagnosed with (a) diabetic retinopathy, (b) cataracts and (c) age-related macular degeneration in (i) Plymouth and (ii) Devon in 2011.

Daniel Poulter: The Health and Social Care Information Centre has provided the mean age for finished consultant episodes (FCEs) with a primary or secondary diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, and age-related macular degeneration for Plymouth Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Devon PCT of residence for 2011-12.
	It should be noted that these figures only include those people admitted to hospital for the above conditions. It should also be noted that since the same patient may be treated more than once in the year, their age will be counted more than once in the calculation of mean age.
	No ICD-10 coding exists specifically for age related macular degeneration—only ‘degeneration of macula and posterior pole’.
	The following table shows mean age (in years) for FCEs(1) with a named primary or secondary diagnosis(2) of diabetic retinopathy(3), cataracts(4) and age-related macular degeneration(5) for Plymouth Teaching PCT and Devon PCT of residence(6), for 2011-12.
	
		
			 Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			  5QQ: Devon PCT 5F1: Plymouth Teaching PCT 
			 Diabetic retinopathy 69 65 
			 Cataracts 77 76 
		
	
	
		
			 Macular degeneration 82 81 
			 (1 )Finished Consultant Episode (FCE) A finished consultant episode (FCE) is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year. (2 )Number of episodes in which the patient had a (named) primary or secondary diagnosis The number of episodes where this diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) primary and secondary diagnosis fields in a Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record. Each episode is only counted once, even if the diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record. (3 )Diabetic Retinopathy CD-10 codes used to identify diabetic retinopathy. Each of the following codes must be immediately followed by H36.0 (H36.0 A Diabetic retinopathy): E10.3 D Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus with ophthalmic complications E11.3 D Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus with ophthalmic complications E12.3 D Malnutrition-related diabetes mellitus with ophthalmic complications E13.3 D Other specified diabetes mellitus with ophthalmic complications E14.3 D Unspecified diabetes mellitus with ophthalmic complications (4 )Cataracts ICD-10 codes used to identify cataracts: H25 Senile cataract H26 Other cataract H28.0A Diabetic cataract (must be preceded by one of the following codes E10.3, E11.3, E12.3, E13.3 or E14.3 in order to be included). In order to be included, the following two codes should only appear in a secondary diagnosis position: H28.1A Cataract in other endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases H28.2A Cataract in other diseases classified elsewhere Q12.0 Congenital cataract (5 )Macular Degeneration It is not possible to identify age-related macular degeneration using HES data. The ICD-10 code used to identify macular degeneration is: H35.3 Degeneration of macula and posterior pole (6 )PCT of residence The strategic health authority (SHA) or PCT containing the patient's normal home address. This does not necessarily reflect where the patient was treated as they may have travelled to another SHA/PCT for treatment. A change in methodology in 2011-12 resulted in an increase in the number of records where the PCT or SHA of residence was unknown. From 2006-07 to 2010-11 the current PCT and SHA of residence fields were populated from the recorded patient postcode. In order to improve data completeness, if the postcode was unknown the PCT, SHA and country of residence were populated from the PCT/SHA value supplied by the provider. From April 2011-12 onwards if the patient postcode is unknown the PCT, SHA and country of residence are listed as unknown. Data quality: HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and PCTs in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. Health and Social Care Information Centre liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. Source: Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

JUSTICE

Rehabilitation of Offenders

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the potential role of charities and voluntary organisations in the rehabilitation of offenders.

Jeremy Wright: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has announced reforms aimed at improving the way that rehabilitation services are delivered to provide better outcomes and increased value for money. We will be announcing detailed proposals shortly. Following this announcement we will engage with key stakeholders across all sectors, including the voluntary and community sector, to help further develop our plans for reform.

Hate Crime

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to tackle hate crime through the justice system.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice hosts the Government’s hate crime programme, which brings all Departments together with criminal justice agencies and key partners. It is advised by a standing Independent Advisory Group and ensures that a co-ordinated approach is taken to reducing the harm caused by hate crime. Our intentions are set out in “Challenge it, Report it, Stop it: The Government's Plan to Tackle Hate Crime” published in March 2012.

Family Courts

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress he is making in promoting greater transparency in the family courts.

Helen Grant: While a great deal more information on the operation of the family courts is now available through published data, we accept that there is a need for greater openness. We are currently considering how best to take forward options for releasing more information in certain types of family proceedings.

Prisoners: Drug Addiction

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to prevent drug addiction among prisoners.

Jeremy Wright: The Government are committed to stopping drugs entering prisons and to getting offenders off drugs. Fewer prisoners are testing positive for drugs than any time since 1996, but there is more to do, so we are working closely with the Department of Health and other service providers to create integrated, recovery orientated and outcome focused services.

Human Trafficking

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many victims of trafficking referred to the trafficking victim support scheme operated by the Salvation Army in the last 12 months failed to receive a conclusive grounds decision; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Grant: Information produced by the UK Human Trafficking Centre indicates that there were 17 negative Conclusive Grounds decisions in the period October 2011 to October 2012 on victims who have been referred to the Government-funded support service for adult victims of human trafficking in England and Wales administered by the Salvation Army.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

China

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  whether he has any plans to make representations to the new leadership of the Chinese Communist Party regarding the treatment of the ethnic Uyghur population in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region;
	(2)  if he will make representations to his counterpart in China on the ongoing harassment of the family of exiled Uyghur rights activist Ms Rebiya Kadeer, including the imprisonment of Ablikim and Alim Kadeer, who have been detained since 2006;
	(3)  if he will make representations to the Government of China on the repression of religion in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region prior to, during and after Ramadan this year.

Hugo Swire: We are concerned about the treatment of the Uyghur community in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, particularly in relation to cultural and religious freedoms. We will continue to make representations to the Chinese Government, and plan on doing so during the next UK-China Human Rights Dialogue, which is due to take place in spring 2013.
	The agenda for the last UK-China Human Rights Dialogue included the situation in Xinjiang, ethnic minority rights, freedom of religion, as well as the rights of detainees and a number of individual cases—including those of Ablikim and Alim Kadeer.

China

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold discussions with his counterpart in China on providing reparation and medical assistance to the victims of nuclear tests at Lop Nor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Hugo Swire: We are encouraged that in October this year, the Chinese Government announced plans to spend 6 million yuan (approximately £600,000) to clean up the former nuclear testing site at Lop Nur. We still have concerns around the long-term health effects of the tests on the local populace.
	Our embassy in Beijing regularly raises issues of concern with the Chinese Government, including access to health care. We welcome recent increases in health care funding and sector reforms announced by the Chinese Government.

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the Canadian Government's decision not to attend the 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo unless certain benchmarks on human rights and accountability are met; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: Decisions on Canadian representation at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) are a matter for the Canadian Government. We are liaising closely with Canada ahead of CHOGM in Colombo in 2013. The UK looks to Sri Lanka, as with any other CHOGM host, to demonstrate its commitment to upholding the Commonwealth values of good governance and respect for human rights ahead of CHOGM.

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on attending the 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: It is too early to confirm UK attendance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo in 2013. Ahead of the meeting, we will look to Sri Lanka, as with any other CHOGM host, to demonstrate its commitment to upholding the Commonwealth values of good governance and respect for human rights.

EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which EU directives his Department transposed in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date; which EU directives his Department expects to transpose in (i) 2013 and (ii) the next two years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such directive to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not transposed any directives.

EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which regulations his Department introduced as a result of EU legislation in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date; which regulations his Department expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2013 and (ii) the next two years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

David Lidington: Regulations are a specific type of statutory instrument. These are rarely sponsored by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). The most usual type of statutory instrument sponsored by the FCO is an Order in Council.
	In 2011 the FCO adopted the following orders as a result of EU legislation:
	S.I. 2011/742 The European Union (Definition of Treaties) (Stabilisation and Association Agreement) (Republic of Serbia) Order 2011
	S.I. 2011/743 The European Union (Definition of Treaties ) (Partnership and Cooperation Agreement) (Republic of Indonesia); and
	S.I. 2011/1043 The Treaty of Lisbon (Changes in Terminology) Order 2011.
	In 2012 the FCO has adopted the following regulations:
	S.I. 2012/358 The European Union (Definition of Treaties) (Republic of Korea Framework agreement) Order 2012;
	S.I. 2012/797 The European Union (Definition of Treaties) (Second Agreement amending the Cotonou Agreement) order 2012; and
	S.I. 2012/1809 The Treaty of Lisbon (Changes of Terminology or Numbering) Order 2012.
	The FCO is aware of three other measures that will need to be given effect by secondary legislation in the new year relating to the EU/Mongolia Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, the EU/Singapore Partnership and Cooperation Agreement and the conferring of privileges and immunities on Athena (an EU body).
	These measures are either technical in nature or relate to international agreements. As set out in explanatory memorandandums for each of the regulations in 2011 and 2012, costs to the public purse are negligible, and they are not estimated to incur significant costs to business.

Gibraltar: Spain

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the movements of a Spanish warship in the territorial waters of Gibraltar; and what steps he is taking to address this issue.

David Lidington: There were two incursions by a Spanish naval vessel into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW) on 10 December. Radio warnings were issued and the vessel departed BGTW. We have protested to Spain via diplomatic channels at a very high level.
	The Royal Navy challenges Guardia Civil and other Spanish state vessels whenever they make unlawful maritime incursions into BGTW. We back this up by making formal diplomatic protests to the Spanish Government about all unlawful incursions. Our challenges and protests make clear that such incursions are an unacceptable violation of British sovereignty.
	We are confident of UK sovereignty over BGTW under international law. We make our position clear to the Spanish Government whenever appropriate and we will continue to uphold British sovereignty over the waters.

Israel

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that Israeli settlements are excluded from all EU and UK agreements with Israel.

Alistair Burt: Our position on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is clear: they are illegal under international law, an obstacle to peace and make a two-state solution, with Jerusalem as a shared capital, harder to achieve. We consistently urge the Israeli authorities to cease all settlement activity.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) follows UK and EU guidelines when purchasing goods and services from suppliers. The grounds for exclusion of a supplier under UK and EU procurement law are set out in the Public Contracts Regulations 2006 (as amended), which in turn reflect EU directives on public procurement and it would have to be considered whether, on the facts of a particular case, any of these grounds applied. Since these guidelines do not currently differentiate between products emanating from Israel or from the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the FCO has not taken any steps in this regard. There is currently no specific proposal for excluding goods, services and products from settlements from EU and member state procurement.
	The issue of settlement produce is actively discussed with our EU partners. EU Foreign Ministers, at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting on 14 May, agreed that
	“the EU and its member states reaffirm their commitment to fully and effectively implement existing EU legislation and the bilateral arrangements applicable to settlement products. The Council underlines the importance of the work being carried out together with the Commission in this regard.”
	This ongoing work includes measures to ensure that settlement produce does not enter the EU duty-free, under the EU-Israel Association Agreement, and steps to ensure that EU-wide guidelines are issued to make sure that settlement products are not incorrectly labelled as Israeli produce, in violation of EU consumer protection regulations. There are, however, currently no plans for EU or domestic legislation on this issue.

Mediterranean Sea: Environment Protection

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government plan to ratify the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution.

David Lidington: We have had initial discussions with the Government of Gibraltar on this matter and are considering how best to engage in various multilateral forums which concern the marine environment in the Mediterranean. Ratifying the Barcelona Convention so that it applies to Gibraltar is one option.

Middle East

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the Israeli blockade of Gaza on the humanitarian situation in that territory following the recent conflict with Israel.

William Hague: The Minister of State, Department for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Melton (Mr Duncan), visited Gaza on 11 December to assess the humanitarian situation following the recent conflict. We continue to be concerned by the humanitarian impact of the Israeli restrictions on Gaza. These restrictions do tremendous damage to the economy and living standards of ordinary people in Gaza without achieving Israel's security objectives.
	We have repeatedly urged Israel to ease those restrictions. We support the ongoing talks in Cairo, brokered by Egypt, which provide an important opportunity to resolve the fundamental problems of Gaza, including achieving more open access to and from Gaza for people and goods, and an end to the smuggling of weapons.

Middle East

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the use of UK-manufactured weapons or components by Israeli forces in Operation Pillar of Defence in November 2012.

Alistair Burt: The UK maintains a rigorous and transparent arms export control system, whereby all applications are assessed on a case by case basis, against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. The Criteria make clear our commitment to assess the risk of exports being used for internal repression or to provoke or prolong armed conflicts or aggravate existing tensions or conflict in the country of final destination. We apply these Criteria rigorously, including with respect to Israel. We refuse licences for any arms exports to Israel which we assess would be inconsistent with the Criteria or other relevant commitments.
	Throughout the recent conflict, the British embassy in Tel Aviv monitored the security situation in and around Gaza closely and the effect of the use of Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) weaponry. We called on the Israeli authorities throughout the conflict to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law and to avoid civilian casualties. We also urged all sides to co-operate with Egyptian-led efforts to reach a ceasefire. We have no assessment to date of whether any UK weapons or components were used during the recent conflict by the IDF.

Middle East

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has requested the Government of Israel to take to effectively ease the terms of the current blockade on Gaza.

William Hague: We have repeatedly urged Israel to ease its restrictions on Gaza, including during the recent visit to the region by the Minister of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Melton (Mr Duncan).
	We have put forward suggestions for discussion in the ongoing talks in Cairo, brokered by Egypt, which provide an important opportunity to resolve the fundamental problems of Gaza, including achieving more open access to and from Gaza for people and goods, and an end to the smuggling of weapons. We have also suggested concrete steps that we urge Israel to take in the interim. These include, for example, further expanding the fishing limit; significantly reducing the ‘no-go’ zone up to the border fence; allowing containerised imports to Gaza; and permitting goods from Gaza to access markets in Israel and the west bank, as well as international markets.

Middle East

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent of UK compliance with paragraph seven of UN Security Council Resolution 465 (1980) on Israel and the occupied territories.

Alistair Burt: The UK complies with this resolution calling upon states not to provide Israel with any assistance to be used specifically in connection with settlements in the occupied territories. The UK, together with the general international community, is clear on the status of settlements: they constitute a clear violation of international law, are an obstacle to peace, and a threat to the viability of the two-state solution. The UK routinely condemns decisions taken to build settlement units, calling for these decisions to be reversed, and for Israel to cease all settlement activity.

Occupied Territories

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage the Government of Israel to end the construction of settlements.

Alistair Burt: We continue to urge the Israeli authorities to cease all settlement building, revoke previous announcements and to remove illegal outposts, as required under international law and in fulfilment of Israel's obligations under the Roadmap.
	We have condemned the Israeli decision on 30 November to build 3,000 new housing units in East Jerusalem and the west bank and to unfreeze planning in the area known as E1. We have called on the Israeli Government to reverse these decisions. I formally summoned the Israeli ambassador to the UK to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 3 December, to underline the depth of our concerns.
	Our position on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is clear: they are illegal under international law, an obstacle to peace and make a two-state solution, with Jerusalem as a shared capital, harder to achieve.

Palestinians

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effect that the vote in favour of recognising Palestine as a non-member observer state at the UN has had on the prospects for re-starting negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

William Hague: I released the following statement on the UK vote on the Palestinian resolution at the UN General Assembly on 29 November setting out our position:
	“We respect the course of action chosen by President Abbas and the result at the UN General Assembly tonight.
	We continue to believe that the prospects for a swift return to negotiations on a two-state solution—the only way to create a Palestinian state on the ground—would be greater today if President Abbas had been able to give the assurances we suggested, and without which we were unable to vote in favour of the resolution.
	In particular, we called on President Abbas to set out a willingness to return to negotiations without preconditions, and to signal that the Palestinians would not immediately seek action in the International Criminal Court, which would be likely to make a return to negotiations impossible.
	We sought these assurances because they would help create the strongest possible foundation for a return to talks, if combined with action by Israel and support from the international community, after a long and painful period for both parties in the absence of negotiations. This was the guiding principle behind our vote.
	In the absence of these assurances from President Abbas, the UK abstained on the vote, in accordance with the approach I set out in the House of Commons this week.
	Nonetheless, we will redouble our efforts to restart the peace process, and will continue our strong support for President Abbas, the Palestinian Authority, and a two-state solution.
	I again urge Israel to avoid reacting in a way that undermines the peace process and a return to negotiations. We would not support a reaction which sidelined President Abbas or risked collapse of the Palestinian Authority.
	The coming year is now an even more important one for peace in the Middle East. We encourage the US, with the strong and active support of the UK, the EU and the international community, to show decisive leadership and do all it can in the coming weeks and months to drive the process forward. If progress on negotiations is not made next year, then the two-state solution could become impossible to achieve.”

Palestinians

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect that the vote in favour of Palestinian recognition at the UN will have on UK relations with the Palestinian Authority.

William Hague: The UK's deep friendship with the Palestinians and strong support for the Palestinian Authority has seen the UK provide £22.5 million over the last year in relation to state-building. Our vote on the recent UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution was guided by a simple principle: how best to support a return to genuine negotiations to secure a two-state solution.
	However, we have been clear that we respect the course of action chosen by President Abbas. The Deputy Prime Minister and I both spoke to him prior to the UNGA vote. No one can doubt that President Abbas is a courageous man of peace. We believe that he is the best interlocutor that Israel will have to bring about peace.

Sri Lanka

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the Government of Sri Lanka's commitment to upholding Commonwealth values of (a) good governance, (b) human rights and (c) the rule of law.

Alistair Burt: As host of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2013, we look to Sri Lanka to demonstrate its commitment to upholding the Commonwealth values of good governance and respect for human rights. We continue to have concerns about human rights in Sri Lanka, including the rule of law and individual freedoms. The concerns of the UK and the wider international community on human rights are regularly relayed to the Government of Sri Lanka, most recently in the 1 November Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council. I will reiterate these concerns when I next visit Sri Lanka.
	The UK, in conjunction with the European Union Heads of Mission, released a statement on 5 December. This statement expressed our concern about recent developments in Sri Lanka surrounding the rule of law and individual freedoms. We continue to press the Sri Lankan Government to ensure the protection of the independence of the judiciary and the fundamental rights of all citizens. The statement can be found at:
	http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/sri_lanka/documents/press_corner/20121205_en.pdf

Sri Lanka

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of attacks on Jaffna university students by the military in Sri Lanka; what recent assessment he has made of the exercise of the right to freedom of expression in Sri Lanka; what steps he is taking to promote the demilitarisation of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka; and if he will discuss with his Sri Lankan counterpart the attacks on Jaffna university students by the military and the subsequent arrest and detention of students by the Sri Lankan Terrorist Investigation Department.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of the recent attacks on students at Jaffna university. Our high commission continues to monitor any developments. We have raised concerns about the continued detention of the four students with the Sri Lankan authorities.
	We also regularly urge the Sri Lankan Government to improve the human rights situation for vulnerable groups, to investigate incidents that happen, and prosecute those responsible. The UK, in conjunction with the EU Heads of Mission, released a statement on 5 December. This statement expressed our concern about recent developments in Sri Lanka surrounding the rule of law and individual freedoms. We continue to press the Sri Lankan Government to ensure the protection of the fundamental rights of all citizens, including students. The statement can be found at:
	http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/sri_lanka/documents/press_corner/20121205_en.pdf

UK Membership of EU

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he had with (a) trade associations and (b) trades unions in the UK on UK membership of the EU.

David Lidington: I regularly engage with a range of interested stakeholders as part of my ministerial duties. Among others, I have recently met the Westminster Forum and TheCityUK.
	In addition, the Government are engaging with a wide range of interest groups, including the Trades Union Congress and numerous trade and business associations, as part of the Balance of Competences review currently under way.

PRIME MINISTER

Ministers: Codes of Practice

Christopher Chope: To ask the Prime Minister whether he plans to revise the Ministerial Code to reflect changes in practice in respect of collective responsibility since May 2010.

David Cameron: The Ministerial Code is normally revised and reissued after a general election. The current version was published in May 2010. Copies are available in both Libraries of the House.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Ascension Island

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much financial aid her Department has given to Ascension Island in each of the last three years.

Alan Duncan: DFID has given no direct bilateral aid to Ascension Island in the last three years. Ascension along with other British overseas territories, however, has benefited from regional programmes to protect the environment and to help safeguard children.

Developing Countries: Civil Wars

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of development aid from her Department to countries that have recently experienced a civil war.

Alan Duncan: DFID programmes in conflict-affected states are having a real impact on the lives of the poor. For example:
	In Afghanistan in 2010-11, DFID contributed to 4.7 million children attending primary school and reached 1.4 million people with emergency food assistance.
	In the Democratic Republic of Congo DFID reached 153,000 young children and pregnant women through nutrition programmes.
	In Nepal DFID supported the creation of 45,000 jobs and lifted 76,000 people out of poverty through our forestry work.
	In Nigeria DFID supported 40 million people to vote in elections.
	Results in all UK development programmes, including fragile and conflict-affected countries, are driven by country context. For all DFID programmes we measure the impact they have on reducing conflict, as well as the achievement of development results in specific sectors. The UK has also endorsed the New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States (Busan, November 2011) and is committed to implementing its guidance on working more effectively in fragile and conflict-affected countries.

EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which EU directives her Department transposed in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date; which EU directives her Department expects to transpose in (i) 2013 and (ii) the next two years; and what estimate she has made of the cost of each such directive to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Alan Duncan: The Department has not transposed any EU directives in this period.

EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which regulations her Department introduced as a result of EU legislation in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date; which regulations her Department expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2013 and (ii) the next two years; and what estimate she has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Alan Duncan: The Department has not introduced any such regulations in this period.

G8

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will ensure that the setting of post-millennium development goals will be included on the agenda for the G8 Summit in 2013.

Justine Greening: The Prime Minister is co-chair of the High Level Panel on the post-2015 development agenda, which will submit independent recommendations to the UN Secretary-General in May 2013. Thereafter, we anticipate that a wide UN-led process will culminate in the agreement of post-2015 development goals in 2015. It is right for this process to be led by the UN and developing countries. The Prime Minister has announced that the G8 summit in 2013 will focus on tax, trade and transparency.

Non-governmental Organisations

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her policy is on engaging with non-governmental organisations not funded by her Department.

Alan Duncan: DFID engages with a range of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) not supported through funding schemes.
	The main way DFID engages is through work with BOND, the umbrella organisation for UK-based NGOs working in international development. BOND has over 350 members, most of which are not funded by DFID.
	DFID also engages with a range of faith based, diaspora and other organisations working both in the UK and overseas on international development through meetings, events and correspondence.

Procurement

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list all contracts signed by her Department with private companies for the provision of services previously provided by the public sector under her departmental responsibility since May 2010; what the (a) length of the contract and (b) financial penalties for opting out early are in each case where possible within the cost constraints of this question; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Duncan: DFID has not awarded any centrally let contracts since May 2010 that transferred the service provision and staff from the Department to a private sector provider.

Seas and Oceans: Biodiversity

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the case for a sustainable development goal on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity.

Justine Greening: The Prime Minister believes that a new global development framework should focus on the eradication of poverty. This will mean not only finishing the job on the current millennium development goals (in areas such as health and education), but also helping to put in place the building blocks of sustained prosperity. As part of this, a new framework will need to address the critical challenge of managing natural resources sustainably, fairly and effectively. The High Level Panel on the post-2015 development agenda co-chaired by the Prime Minister will take a leadership role in considering the case for different goals.